Health care in the Middle East and wider region has come under attack about once every six hours on average since conflict escalated a month ago across Lebanon, Iran, and Israel, Save the Children said.
Following the full-scale invasion of Lebanon launched on 2 March 2026, Israeli airstrikes have continued at high intensity in Beirut’s southern suburbs and across villages in southern and eastern Lebanon.
Conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate, unfolding a multi-layered public health emergency. Increasing numbers of deaths and injuries are being reported, with over 1,440 deaths and more than 18,700 injuries reported in Iran, and more than 886 deaths and 2105 injuries in Lebanon.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Lebanon in a solidarity mission, highlighting the severity of the crisis and calling for protection of civilians and increased international support. Together with the Government of Lebanon, he launched 2026 Flash Appeal.
More than ten days into the latest escalation of conflict in the Middle East, health systems across the Region are coming under strain as injuries and displacement rise, attacks on health care continue, and public health risks increase.
116,900 IDPs remain internally displaced across 165 communities in Aleppo and Al-Hasakeh governorates. Critical infrastructure failures continue to impede basic services, with frequent electricity outages affecting water stations, hospitals and referral pathways.
Civilian deaths and injuries continue to increase daily, according to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). Evacuation orders and ongoing airstrikes have worsened conditions for civilians, forcing many to experience multiple displacements.
In Gaza, restrictions on aid operations mounted as crossing closures were accompanied by the suspension of humanitarian movement coordination, medical evacuations, returns of residents from abroad, and staff rotations. The closure of the crossings drove up prices and increased reliance on humanitarian assistance.
2025 marked one of the most devastating chapters in Sudan’s recent history. Across the country, communities endured overlapping humanitarian crises that affected the lives of millions across Sudan.
South Sudan, as one of the seven East African countries in the African meningitis belt, continues to experience recurrent meningococcal meningitis outbreaks, with the most recent incident caused by serogroup X (NmX) in 2023.
In 2025, Yemen’s displacement crisis continued to deepen rather than stabilize, layered on top of a decade-long emergency that has eroded services, livelihoods, and coping capacity. For millions of families, displacement was not a temporary disruption, but an ongoing reality shaped by rising poverty and weakened systems.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is appealing for US$ 38.8 million to deliver life-saving emergency health assistance to 10.5 million people across Yemen in 2026, as the country enters another year of protracted conflict, disease outbreaks, climate shocks and deepening humanitarian needs.
Lebanon faces deep socioeconomic, political, and security crises, affecting nearly half the population. The escalation of armed conflict in late 2023 and 2024 worsened conditions, particularly for the most marginalized children and families.
Renewed hostilities between armed actors have intensified across northern and central South Sudan since late December 2025. Sustained fighting and aerial bombardment in parts of Jonglei State have triggered a sharp deterioration in security conditions, large-scale displacement, and widespread civilian flight.
The situation in Aleppo, Al-Hasakeh and Ar-Raqqa governorates has largely stabilized in recent days, following the agreement announced on 30 January 2026. Active hostilities have subsided, bringing a greater sense of calm, even as localized incidents, precautionary security measures, and community concerns persist in many areas.
Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF’s) hospital in Lankien, Jonglei state, South Sudan, was hit in an airstrike by the government of South Sudan forces during the night of Tuesday, 3 February 2026.
As of 3 February, around 280,000 people have been displaced as a result of the Jonglei conflict following renewed fighting and airstrikes since 29 December 2025, according to the RRC.
Yemen continues to face a protracted humanitarian crisis marked by conflict, political fragmentation, economic collapse, and severe access constraints, with women and girls bearing a disproportionate share of the impact.
