WHO reports 10,000 healthcare attacks

The World Health Organization reported on Friday that more than 10,000 attacks on healthcare have been recorded since 2018 across 29 countries and territories, resulting in approximately 5,700 deaths and 8,500 injuries. No one has ever been brought to justice for these attacks. In 2026 alone, the WHO has recorded 914 attacks causing 911 deaths and 1,486 injuries, with the majority occurring in Ukraine, Lebanon, and the Palestine. Other affected countries include Myanmar, Iran, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Russia, Syria, and Nigeria. Altaf Musani, director of the WHO's humanitarian and disaster management unit, noted that attacks with heavy weapons are the most frequent, followed by obstruction of healthcare and psychological violence. There have been 44 incidents involving abduction, arrest, or detention of health workers and patients, affecting 148 individuals. The WHO highlighted the long-lasting impact of such attacks, noting that all 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip have been damaged, and in Ukraine, more than 3,000 attacks have been verified since 2022, including a recent strike on a WHO warehouse in Ukraine — Dnipro. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 12 attacks have been verified since the Ebola outbreak was declared in May, disrupting outbreak response efforts.