Red Cross, WHO, MSF warn of worsening attacks on health care in conflicts

The International Committee of the Red Cross, World Health Organization (WHO), and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Monday warned that attacks on health care in conflict zones have worsened over the past decade, calling for urgent global action.

Marking 10 years since the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 2286, the organizations said in a joint statement that the measure has failed to curb violence targeting hospitals, medical staff, and patients.

“Today, we mark not an achievement – we mark a failure,” they said.

They said violence against medical facilities, transport, and personnel “has not diminished,” and in many cases, “intensified,” with hospitals destroyed, ambulances obstructed, and health workers and patients killed or injured.

“When health care is no longer safe, it is often the clearest warning sign that the rules and norms intended to limit the harm of war are breaking down,” they said.

The organizations urged states and parties to conflicts to comply with international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of health care services.

They called on governments to investigate attacks, strengthen domestic laws, allocate resources, and ensure accountability.

“That is not a failure of the law. It is a failure of political will,” they said, urging leaders to act, adding that “health care must never be a casualty of war.”

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, separately, his agency has documented nearly 10,000 attacks on health care since the UN Security Council’s Resolution 2286 on health care in armed conflicts was adopted.

"During the period 28 February to 4 May, an average of 5 attacks per day on health care were reported in 2026, compared with 3.5 attacks per day during the same period in 2025, suggesting an upward trend in incidents," he said in a post on the US social media platform X. "This is a mark of collective failure."

Tedros called upon all states to ensure that the wounded and sick, as well as those who care for them, are protected, and international humanitarian laws are respected.