Attacks on Healthcare Systems Reach Alarming Levels, Affecting Millions

Strategic Insights -

As the world grapples with the complexities of war and humanitarian crises, a disturbing trend has emerged: attacks on healthcare systems have reached alarming levels, putting the lives of millions at risk. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has reported a staggering increase in attacks on health facilities, with over 900 health workers killed in 2024 alone. The situation has worsened in 2025, with the number of attacks and casualties rising exponentially.

Health workers, hospitals, and ambulances are being targeted in horrifying numbers, leaving countless civilians without access to essential reproductive health services, including family planning, antenatal care, safe delivery, and emergency obstetric treatment. In Gaza, for example, the war on health facilities has devastated the territory's health system, leaving tens of thousands without access to these critical services. As a result, miscarriages, premature births, and low birth weight cases have surged, while newborn deaths, including those on the first day of life, are increasing.

Key Takeaways:

  • Attacks on health facilities have doubled between 2023 and 2024, with over 900 health workers killed in 2024 alone.
  • The number of attacks and casualties in 2025 has surpassed even the darkest statistics of previous years.
  • Over 80% of health facilities in conflict zones of Sudan are now non-operational, leaving millions without access to critical health services.
  • In Gaza, the war on health facilities has left tens of thousands without access to essential reproductive health services.
  • In Ukraine, women and girls are often compelled to find safer places to shelter and give birth, as the country experiences over 300 attacks by the Russian Federation on healthcare facilities, services, and personnel.
  • In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most facilities providing maternal healthcare have been bombed or looted, leaving UNFPA-supported mobile health teams as the only option for many women.

Statistics:

  • 900 health workers were killed in 2024 alone.
  • Over 720 attacks on healthcare in Gaza have been documented by the World Health Organization (WHO) since October 2023.
  • At least 1,580 health workers have been killed in Gaza, with as yet unknown numbers arrested and detained by Israel.
  • 80% of health facilities in conflict zones of Sudan are now non-operational.
  • Over 300 attacks by the Russian Federation on healthcare facilities, services, and personnel have been recorded in Ukraine since January 2025.
  • 1.2 million women and girls are in urgent need of protection against gender-based violence in Haiti, but three out of UNFPA's four safe spaces in the Port-au-Prince area were recently forced to close and relocate.

Sources:

  • United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
  • World Health Organization (WHO)
  • UNOCHA
  • Themba Linden
  • Jonas Yunus
  • Viktoriia Andriievska
  • UNFPA Sudan
  • Hawaa Ismael
  • Batoul*
  • UNFPA DRC
  • Nelly