960 deaths mark global surge in attacks on health care
WHO data shows a spike in violence against medical facilities, while hospitals in Ethiopia struggle with funding cuts and ongoing conflict.
By Marco Ortega ·
More than 960 people died in attacks on health care facilities and workers across 19 countries in 2026, according to data collected by the World Health Organization. This figure represents a sharp rise in violence against medical infrastructure, with the deadliest single incident occurring during a Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation center in Afghanistan. Hundreds of additional deaths were recorded in Sudan, Lebanon, and Ukraine.
In northern Ethiopia, the collapse of a two-year ceasefire in late September has placed the region’s medical system under severe strain. A surgeon in Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region, described a period of nearly seven days where the emergency room was filled with war trauma patients. The hospital lost cell service and electricity, preventing staff from coordinating with other facilities or tracking incoming casualties.
The conflict has intensified after the Tigrayan rebels ousted regional leaders in May and aligned with seven other rebel groups. The Ethiopian military accuses Sudan, Egypt, and Eritrea of supporting these militants. In late October, drone strikes killed at least 15 people, including children. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, stated that the violence is pushing the fragile health system closer to collapse.
A report by Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa found that 63% of health workers surveyed in northern Ethiopia reported attacks on ambulances between 2020 and 2024. Another 57% witnessed armed groups taking over clinics or hospitals. Lindsey Green, a researcher at Physicians for Human Rights, noted that these groups often occupied facilities to seize or destroy equipment, aiming to make health care harder to access.
The region has not recovered from the previous Tigray war, which killed an estimated 600,000 people. An independent review found that the maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births increased fivefold during the 2020 to 2022 conflict. One health worker in Tigray reported that more than 100 women died in childbirth over the past year due to a lack of medicine, providers, and fuel for ambulances.
Funding cuts have compounded the crisis. The federal government stopped sending money to Tigray’s hospitals after the rebels changed leadership in May, leaving doctors unpaid for months. Ayoda Werede, a physician with Health Professionals for Tigray, said that while the military has not directly targeted health centers recently, other groups have stolen supplies including medication and mattresses. She warned that the system is stretched beyond capacity as injured people continue to arrive.
The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry and Office of the Prime Minister did not respond to requests for comment. Doctors in the region say the combination of targeted violence and reduced foreign aid has eliminated the chance for recovery, with many medical staff already leaving the country.
