The conflict is deepening a health crisis across the Middle East, WHO says

More than ten days after the latest escalation of conflict in the Middle East, health systems across the region are under pressure as injuries and displacement rise, attacks on health care continue and public health risks mount.

National health authorities in Iran report more than 1,300 deaths and 9,000 injuries, and in Lebanon they report at least 570 deaths and more than 1,400 injuries. In Israel, authorities reported 15 deaths and 2,142 injuries.

At the same time, the conflict affects the very services intended to save lives. In Iran, the WHO has confirmed 18 attacks on healthcare since February 28, resulting in 8 deaths among healthcare workers. During the same period in Lebanon, 25 attacks on health care resulted in 16 deaths and 29 injuries. These attacks not only cost lives, but deprive communities of care when they need it most. Healthcare workers, patients and healthcare facilities must always be protected under international humanitarian law.

Beyond its immediate impact, the conflict creates wider public health risks. Current estimates indicate that more than 100,000 people in Iran have moved to other areas of the country due to insecurity, and up to 700,000 people are internally displaced in Lebanon, many of them in overcrowded collective shelters in deteriorating public health conditions, with limited access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. These conditions increase the risk of respiratory infections, diarrhea and other infectious diseases, especially for the most vulnerable populations, such as women and children.

Environmental hazards are also a concern. In Iran, oil fires and smoke from damaged infrastructure have exposed nearby communities to toxic pollutants that potentially cause breathing problems, eye and skin irritation, and contaminated water and food sources.

Access to health services is becoming increasingly limited in several countries. In Lebanon, 49 primary health care centers and five hospitals have closed following evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military, reducing the availability of basic services as medical needs grow.

In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, increased restrictions on movement and the closure of checkpoints are delaying access to ambulances and mobile clinics in several West Bank provinces. In Gaza, medical evacuations have been suspended since February 28, while hospitals continue to operate under pressure due to ongoing shortages of medicine, medical supplies and fuel, which has been deployed to prioritize essential health services such as emergency and trauma care, maternal and newborn services, and infectious disease treatment.

Temporary airspace restrictions disrupted the movement of medical supplies from WHO’s global logistics hub in Dubai. More than 50 requests for emergency supplies, intended for more than 1.5 million people in 25 countries, were affected, resulting in large backlogs. Current priority deliveries include deliveries planned for Al Arish, Egypt, to support the Gaza response, as well as Lebanon and Afghanistan. The first shipment, containing anti-cholera supplies for Mozambique, is expected to leave the center next week.

The escalation comes at a time when humanitarian needs in the Eastern Mediterranean region were already among the highest in the world. Across the Region, 115 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance – almost half of all people in need in the world – while appeals for emergency humanitarian aid remain 70% underfunded.

Without protection for health care, sustainable humanitarian access and stronger financial and operational support for the humanitarian health response, the pressure on vulnerable populations and already fragile health systems will continue to grow.

WHO calls on all parties to protect civilians and health care, ensure unhindered and sustainable access to humanitarian aid and continue to de-escalate conflicts so that communities can begin to recover and move towards peace.