Attacks on health workers continue despite UN pledge

Attacks on health facilities and personnel have continued despite a decade-old UN pledge for protection in armed conflict, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned.

Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council unanimously adopting Resolution 2286, in which member states committed to protecting medical and medical humanitarian personnel, infrastructure, transport and equipment.

Instead, hospitals, ambulances and medical staff are being attacked almost daily in armed conflict, MSF said.

Twenty-one of its staff had been killed in 15 accidents over the decade, the organization said.

MSF International president Javid Abdelmoneim said there was a "blatant disregard" for the protection of the medical mission in countries at war.

"What was once considered exceptional is now become commonplace," Abdelmoneim said.

"States who committed to protecting medical care back in 2016 must stop hiding behind excuses and finger-pointing, and act."

Over the last 10 years, attacks on healthcare included airstrikes on hospitals in Syria and Yemen, shellings of hospitals in Ukraine and Palestine, drone strikes on a hospital in Myanmar and attacks on clearly marked ambulances in Cameroon, Haiti and Lebanon.

In 2025 alone, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a total of 1,348 attacks on medical facilities, resulting in the deaths of 1,981 people.

Abdelmoneim said medical care in conflict was under extreme threat, as attacks against healthcare workers and health infrastructure had been seen in almost every conflict over the past decade.

"The protection granted to us and to our patients under International Humanitarian Law must be led by action, not just words."