The World Health Organisation (WHO) says healthcare facilities, workers, patients and medical transport in the Eastern Mediterranean Region were attacked 438 times in 2026, averaging once every 12 hours.
Dr Annette Heinzelmann, Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, disclosed this during a WHO webinar on Thursday.
She said the attacks caused more than 1,120 injuries, with the region accounting for nearly half of globally recorded attacks and more than 80 per cent of associated deaths.
Heinzelmann said the attacks affected health workers, patients, ambulances and facilities, weakening communities’ access to essential healthcare.
She said damaged facilities, casualties among health workers, unsafe ambulance movement and disrupted services could leave communities without adequate healthcare long after attacks occurred.
Heinzelmann stressed that international humanitarian law protects healthcare workers, patients, facilities and medical transport, adding that prevention, preparedness, accountability and political commitment were needed to keep healthcare services available during conflicts and humanitarian emergencies.
