Kathmandu. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the conflict in the Middle East has reached its peak in recent years, and attacks on medical facilities and health workers are increasing worldwide.

The average number of attacks targeting global health care and health workers was 3.7 per day before the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February, which has now risen to 4.3, the WHO said.

The WHO said 50 private hospitals and health centres had been closed since the conflict began in the Middle East, with 16 hospitals damaged. Altaf Musani, the WHO’s director of emergencies and health services, said the attack on the most urgent health services in any case had a negative impact on the ability of health care providers.

The attacks on health facilities have also severely affected the provision of medical services in Gaza, where only one hospital is currently fully operational, according to the WHO.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus repeatedly condemned the attacks and called for accountability. “There have been a record 149 attacks on Lebanon’s health facilities,” he said.