Key facts
- Attacks on healthcare in conflict zones averaged more than four per day in 2026.
- Over 900 attacks occurred between January and August 2026, causing at least 900 deaths and 1,400 injuries.
- Ukraine, Lebanon, and the occupied Palestinian territory are the most affected areas.
- Health facilities are protected under international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.
Attacks on healthcare facilities, workers, and patients in conflict zones have escalated in 2026, averaging more than four incidents daily, according to the World Health Organization. Between January and August, over 900 such attacks were recorded, resulting in at least 900 deaths and more than 1,400 injuries.
Ukraine, Lebanon, and the occupied Palestinian territory represent the largest share of reported incidents. Other affected countries include Iran, Sudan, Myanmar, Syria, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The violence encompasses the use of heavy weapons, destruction of health facilities, and the detention or abduction of healthcare personnel and patients, with 94 healthcare workers detained during this period.
In Gaza, all 36 hospitals have sustained damage, with only about half remaining partially functional. Sudan reported 37% of its health facilities as non-functional this year. Since Russia's full-scale invasion, the WHO has verified over 3,100 attacks in Ukraine, including a recent strike on a WHO warehouse.
An attack on healthcare has lasting consequences, impacting patient care and the ability of ambulances to make referrals. A WHO study in northwest Syria found that outpatient consultations dropped by 51% immediately following an attack and remained low for over a month. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 verified attacks on healthcare during an Ebola outbreak disrupted crucial response efforts, hindering the detection and containment of the disease.
Since the WHO began tracking these incidents in 2018, more than 10,400 attacks have been verified across 29 countries and territories, leading to approximately 5,700 deaths and over 8,500 injuries. The WHO noted that none of these verified attacks have yet entered an accountability process, despite health facilities being protected under international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.