Hospitals bombed, ambulances attacked, health workers killed…WHO, Red Cross and MSF denounce the hollow words of the international community

In 2025 alone, more than 1,300 attacks on medical facilities have been recorded worldwide, resulting in the deaths of 1,981 victims. In response to this alarming trend, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) denounced the “failure” of the international community on Sunday, May 3.

Examples abound: hospitals are being bombed in Gaza, Syria, Yemen, Ukraine; a hospital in Myanmar has been targeted by drone attacks; and clearly marked ambulances in Cameroon, Haiti, and Lebanon have been attacked. While “infrastructure, means of transport, and healthcare personnel” are explicitly targeted in war and genocide zones, global leaders continue to offer “empty words.”

“It’s not a failure of law,” emphasizes a joint statement by the three non-governmental organizations (NGOs), referring to the unanimous adoption of resolution 2286 by the United Nations Security Council ten years ago. The resolution condemns attacks and threats against the wounded, sick, medical personnel, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities.

“It’s not a legal failure, but a political will failure,” assert the WHO, MSF, and the ICRC. The stakes are high. In 2025, MSF teams in Sudan conducted nearly 850,000 outpatient consultations, admitted over 95,600 patients to the hospital, and assisted in nearly 29,000 deliveries. In Gaza, the organization provided 913,000 outpatient consultations and treated 54,000 patients. Lastly, in Ukraine, “MSF ambulances referred 10,700 patients – 60% of whom suffered war-related injuries.”

The three organizations leave no doubt about the source of the situation, attributing it to “political will.” This led the leaders of the ICRC, WHO, and MSF to join other members of the international community in issuing an urgent call to action.

The aim is to urge governments to “act and demonstrate the necessary political will to end this violence.” MSF, the ICRC, and the WHO hope for protection to be granted to healthcare infrastructure, while “prompt, transparent, and impartial investigations” should be conducted in the event of attacks.

“State actors are responsible for the vast majority, approximately 85%, of incidents affecting healthcare services,” emphasized Michael Keeffe, ICRC advisor on healthcare service protection, a few days earlier. Thus, these actors have the means to prevent further loss of life.