The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on August 15 that more than 10,000 attacks on healthcare facilities have been recorded since 2018 — yet not a single perpetrator has been brought to justice. These incidents, verified across 29 countries and territories, resulted in approximately 5,700 deaths and 8,500 injuries. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated that healthcare should never be a target. The organization verifies and records such attacks but does not assign blame, as it is not an investigation agency. In 2026 alone, WHO documented 914 attacks, causing 911 deaths and 1,486 injuries. The majority of incidents this year occurred in Ukraine, Lebanon, and Palestinian territories, with other reports from Myanmar, Iran, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Russia, Syria, and Nigeria. The most frequently reported types this year were attacks with heavy weapons, followed by obstructions of healthcare services and psychological violence. Additionally, there were 44 reported incidents involving the abduction, arrest, or detention of health workers and patients, affecting 148 individuals.
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