Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025
A decade after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2286 — which called for the protection of health workers, patients, and facilities in armed conflict — the data shows the promise remains unfulfilled. In 2025, the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition documented 2,546 incidents across 33 countries, revealing attacks that are relentless, increasingly driven by drone warfare, and compounded by sweeping cuts to global health funding.
2,546 incidents recorded
790 facilities damaged or destroyed
455 health workers killed
218 kidnapped & 263 arrested
- Violence rose in 13 countries and remained far above the ten-year annual average, even as overall numbers declined slightly — largely due to the ceasefire in Gaza.
- State forces drove 64% of all incidents (1,625 attacks), primarily through air strikes, drones, missiles, and artillery in populated areas.
- Armed drone strikes surged 43%, with 410 incidents in 12 countries — damaging or destroying 246 health facilities and killing 37 workers.
- Health worker kidnappings increased, particularly in the CAR, Colombia, the DRC, Mali, Pakistan, and Syria.
- Funding cuts compounded the violence, disrupting health services in nearly three-quarters of conflict-affected countries, with some settings losing up to 70% of essential services.
