Human Rights Watch has warned that attacks on health care in conflict zones remain widespread and largely unchecked, even a decade after the United Nations adopted a landmark resolution intended to safeguard hospitals, medical workers and patients during war.

According to Human Rights Watch, the UN Security Council Resolution 2286, passed unanimously in 2016, clearly obligates states to prevent attacks on health services and hold perpetrators accountable.

However, it argues that those commitments have not translated into consistent protection on the ground, with violations continuing across multiple active conflicts.

The scope of the issue and the mounting pressure on already precarious health systems in war-affected areas are highlighted in a recent report by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC), which consists of Human Rights Watch and other international groups.

Julia Bleckner, Senior Researcher in the Global Health Initiative at Human Rights Watch, stated that, “Resolution 2286 sets out clear obligations to protect healthcare workers and facilities in armed conflict and to adhere to international law.”

“A decade later, member states have not only failed to meet these obligations but leaders are apparently comfortable flouting laws and norms. Accountability requires more than resolutions. It requires consequences.”
Julia Bleckner

In 2025, the coalition recorded 2,546 documented instances of attacks on healthcare in 33 different countries. Hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities were damaged or destroyed in 790 instances, while 936 occurrences involved the murder, detention, or abduction of medical personnel.

Human Rights Watch cautioned that these attacks are not isolated incidents but rather a part of a larger trend that is making civilian populations more susceptible and undermining entire health systems. It was also found that most reported incidents were caused by state military forces.

These worries were reaffirmed in a different evaluation published by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in May 2026, which stated that “the significant increase in violence against health care since 2016 has been driven by State actors.”

UN member states and civil society organisations convened in New York on May 19 to examine ways to improve protections for health services in conflict areas and to assess the status of Resolution 2286’s implementation. Rights organisations assert that there is still a big disconnect between political promises and implementation, nonetheless.

In order to close accountability gaps, Human Rights Watch is calling on governments to take immediate and practical actions, such as improving attack tracking, incorporating international humanitarian law into military training and operational planning, and limiting arms transfers to parties that have been repeatedly connected to violations.

Stressing that impunity is still one of the main causes of ongoing violations, it also asked for stricter domestic legislation to guarantee that attacks on medical staff and institutions are thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.

Hospitals, ambulances, and medical staff are given exceptional protection under international humanitarian law due to their vital role in saving lives during times of conflict. Only under very few circumstances can these rights end, and even then, any attack must satisfy the legal requirements of necessity, proportionality, and distinction.

War-Time Attacks on Hospitals Persist Despite Legal Safeguards

Human Rights Watch claimed that despite these safeguards, numerous transgressions over the previous ten years demonstrate that rights are routinely disregarded in reality.

“Even in war, the right to health endures. The evidence of attacks on health care in conflict is overwhelming. The only question is whether countries will act or remain silent and allow such attacks to continue with impunity.”
Julia Bleckner

Human Rights Watch noted that Syria’s health system was seriously harmed by attacks on medical institutions during the protracted conflict, with long-term effects that still limit access to care.

Since the military takeover in 2021, attacks on health facilities and limitations on access to medical care have significantly undermined Myanmar’s already precarious health services, especially in areas hit by war.

Moreover, the organization added that the health system in Gaza is under tremendous strain due to frequent damage to hospitals and other vital services, as well as a lack of medication, equipment, and secure treatment facilities.

In Sudan, ongoing fighting between rival forces has seen hospitals attacked and humanitarian access obstructed, including incidents that forced medical facilities to shut down during disease outbreaks and emergencies.

In Ukraine, thousands of health facilities have reportedly been damaged since the escalation of the war, while access to care in occupied areas has also been restricted, deepening humanitarian concerns.

Human Rights Watch also expressed concern over strikes on vital health infrastructure, such as water systems, sanitation networks, and electricity grids, cautioning that their destruction could have long-term consequences for civilian well-being well beyond the battlefield.

The organization underlined that international law upholds the larger right to health, which mandates that states guarantee the bare minimum of access to care, clean water, food, and shelter even during times of war, in addition to protecting medical services during times of conflict.