International law aims to protect medical personnel and facilities as well as patients and the wounded in times of armed conflict. It also very strictly regulates the conditions under which combatants are allowed to attack health infrastructures when these are suspected of being used by certain belligerents.
During the night from Monday the 16th to Tuesday the 17th of March 2026, a Pakistani airstrike hit a detox center in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to Afghan authorities, at least 400 people would have perished, and the bombings would have caused hundreds of injuries.
On a global scale, attacks on health facilities are on the rise. On March 14th, 2026, an Israeli airstrike hit a care center in Lebanon, killing 12 doctors, nurses, and rescuers. This attack brings the number of health professionals killed in Lebanon to 31 up to that date.
Since the beginning of March, the World Health Organization (WHO) documented 27 attacks on medical facilities in Lebanon alone, while Israeli strikes in the country and joint American-Israeli operations in Iran have intensified. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the WHO have condemned these aggressions, calling them violations of international law.
What laws protect medical facilities, staff, and patients in times of conflict? Do these protections become obsolete if the infrastructures are used as a refuge for combatants?
The laws protecting medical services during wartime stem from the horrors witnessed in the 19th and 20th centuries conflicts. The first treaty protecting wounded soldiers and medical personnel dates back to 1864 with the adoption of the original Geneva Convention.
Today, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, supplemented by a body of customary international law, form an almost universal legal framework binding all parties to the conflict, including non-state armed groups.
These rules require belligerents to respect and protect healthcare personnel, facilities, and the wounded at all times.
In January, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that attacks on medical facilities and personnel had reached unprecedented levels worldwide. In 2025 alone, there were 1,348 attacks on care structures, double the number recorded in 2024.
The legal framework protecting hospitals and caregivers exists already. It is the responsibility of states and armed groups to promote this right and train their military forces.
Specialized groups in open-source investigations, such as Forensic Architecture, Bellingcat, Mnemonics, and Airwars, play an increasingly important role in preserving satellite images, geolocation data, and videos posted on social networks. Independent investigative missions can rely on these elements to establish facts. Such missions contribute to revealing the truth, even when states are unwilling or unable to fulfill their role.
This is especially important because if belligerents are not held accountable, places meant to save lives in conflict are at risk of being increasingly targeted.
