Karachi: At least 1,825 people have been killed, 23,061 injured and 62 health workers have lost their lives in attacks on healthcare facilities, while 3.2 million people have been displaced in Iran alone as the ongoing US-Israel aggression against Iran has pushed health systems across the Middle East towards collapse, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
The WHO’s latest situation report shows the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has rapidly expanded into a multi-country health emergency, engulfing Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel and overwhelming already fragile healthcare systems.
In Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have intensified alongside the broader conflict, 1,094 people have been killed, 3,119 injured and more than 1.04 million displaced, placing extraordinary pressure on hospitals and emergency services. Iraq has reported 70 deaths and 300 injuries, while Israel has recorded 19 deaths and 4,829 injuries as the conflict spills across borders.
A defining feature of the crisis is the scale of attacks on healthcare. WHO has verified 21 attacks on health facilities in Iran, resulting in the deaths of nine health workers, while Lebanon has witnessed 65 attacks that have killed 53 health workers and injured 91 others. Six additional attacks on healthcare have been recorded in Israel, highlighting the growing risks faced by medical staff across the region.
Hospitals in conflict-hit areas are struggling to cope with the surge in casualties, with many facilities damaged, evacuated or functioning under extreme constraints. Emergency wards are overwhelmed with trauma cases, while routine services such as maternal care, immunisation and treatment of chronic diseases are being severely disrupted, raising the risk of preventable deaths.
The displacement of millions has further deepened the crisis, with families forced into overcrowded shelters where access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare is limited. Health experts warn that such conditions are creating a fertile ground for outbreaks of infectious diseases, particularly among children and vulnerable populations.
WHO has also raised alarm over a wide range of emerging health threats, including trauma-related disabilities, mental health distress, respiratory illnesses and the risk of outbreaks such as measles. Damage to water infrastructure, including desalination facilities, is reducing access to safe drinking water, while the possibility of chemical or radiological incidents remains a serious concern.
Environmental and systemic risks are also growing, with strikes on oil storage facilities and refineries increasing the likelihood of air pollution and long-term health impacts, while fuel shortages threaten the functioning of hospitals and emergency services.
At the same time, the war has disrupted global and regional medical supply chains, with rising transportation costs and shifting logistics routes delaying the delivery of essential medicines and equipment across the region.
WHO officials say they are working with governments and partners to sustain critical health services, strengthen disease surveillance and maintain supply lines, but warn that continued attacks on healthcare facilities will further deepen the humanitarian crisis.
Health experts caution that the conflict is no longer just a military confrontation but a rapidly expanding public health emergency, with consequences that could destabilise health systems across the region and beyond if the violence continues.
Ends