WHO: Over 10,000 Attacks on Healthcare in 29 Countries Since 2018<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that more than 10,400 attacks have targeted healthcare facilities, workers, and services in 29 countries and territories since 2018, resulting in the deaths of approximately 5,700 people and injuries to over 8,000 others. Altaf Musani, Director of the WHO’s Department of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, stated that the first eight months of 2026 alone witnessed more than 900 attacks on healthcare, killing at least 900 individuals and injuring more than 1,400 others, with an average of more than four attacks daily.<\/p>\n
He noted that Ukraine, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories currently account for the largest share of documented attacks, with similar assaults also recorded in Myanmar, Iran, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Russia, Syria, and Nigeria. The attacks varied, involving heavy weaponry, the destruction of health facilities, and forms of psychological and social violence. The WHO documented 44 incidents of abduction, arrest, or detention involving healthcare workers and patients, with 94 healthcare personnel among the affected.<\/p>\n
The organization warned that the actual implications of these attacks extend beyond the number of dead and injured, as targeting medical facilities leads to disruptions in services, depriving patients of treatments and obstructing ambulances and medical supply chains, as well as prompting healthcare staff to leave their workplaces.<\/p>\n
In northwestern Syria, a WHO study of 69 attacks showed that outpatient consultations dropped by 51% the day following an attack, with the impact on services lasting up to 37 days. Additionally, births within health facilities decreased by 23%.<\/p>\n
In Sudan, data indicated that 37% of healthcare facilities ceased operations in 2026, while all 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip were affected, with only about half remaining partially operational.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, the WHO verified over 3,000 attacks on healthcare since the conflict began, affecting hospitals, medical facilities, ambulances, warehouses, and supply chains.<\/p>\n
The WHO also documented 12 attacks on healthcare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the Ebola outbreak was declared in May 2026, warning that these assaults hindered the monitoring, contact tracing, treatment, and containment efforts of the epidemic.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization reiterated its appeal for the protection of healthcare workers, facilities, and services in conflict zones, emphasizing that targeting the health sector has long-term humanitarian impacts and affirming that “healthcare is not a target.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WHO: Over 10,000 Attacks on Healthcare in 29 Countries Since 2018 The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that more than 10,400 attacks have targeted healthcare facilities, workers, and services in 29 countries and territories since 2018, resulting in the deaths of approximately 5,700 people and injuries to over 8,000 others. Altaf Musani, Director of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":144768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[10424],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humanitarian-news"],"yoast_head":"\n