Throughout 2024, medical facilities were destroyed and staff killed in record numbers in conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Myanmar and Sudan. This is reported by The Guardian, writes UNN.
Details
According to a new report, more than 3,600 attacks on health workers, hospitals and clinics were committed in conflict zones last year, a record figure reflecting a "new level of horror."
The total number, as indicated, is 15% higher than in 2023, and includes air strikes, missile strikes and drone strikes on hospitals and clinics, as well as looting and seizure of facilities, arrests and detentions of medical personnel.
More than a third of the attacks occurred in Gaza and the West Bank, but, as indicated, hundreds were also recorded in Ukraine, Lebanon, Myanmar and Sudan.
"On average, in 2024, the health sector was attacked 10 times a day in the world's war zones. Each of these attacks brings terror, trauma, and in many cases - injury, destruction and death. Attacks on the health care system undermine the ability to care for people when they need it most, during war," said Leonard Rubenstein, head of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC), author of the report.
In 2024, 3,623 incidents were recorded, including 1,111 cases of damage or destruction of medical facilities, 927 cases of killings of medical personnel, 473 cases of arrests of medical personnel, and 140 cases of kidnappings of medical personnel. Most of the incidents - 81% - were caused by state authorities.
More than 55% of arrests of health workers in 2024 were carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Israeli Criminal Crime Commission (SHCC) points to reports of physical and sexual violence in places of detention. Almost half of the deaths were recorded in Lebanon, and most of them were paramedics who died during the IDF operation "Northern Arrows," the publication writes.
The report notes that explosive weapons are used in an increasing number of attacks on medical facilities - 48% last year, compared to 36% of incidents in 2023. A significant part of the increase is due to the increased use of drones.
The figures in the report are likely underestimated, the report says, due to the difficulty of collecting accurate information during the conflict.
Recall
According to the Ministry of Health, russia damaged and destroyed more than 2,300 medical infrastructure facilities during the full-scale war.