Nursing unions call for UK to back prosecutions for war crimes against health workers

"The number of health workers killed annually in conflicts has jumped five-fold in less than a decade, and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and British Medical Association (BMA) have called for action from the UK government to fully back international criminal court (ICC) prosecutions of perpetrators. There were 175 health worker killings in conflict in 2016, rising to 932 in 2024, according to a new report from the RCN's International Nursing Academy, using data from Insecurity Insights."

"The data is subject to a lengthy cross-checking process and likely to rise for example, its initial report on 2023 included 143 health worker killings in Palestine, a figure which had risen to 414 by the time of their 2024 report. Deaths in Palestine, Ukraine and Lebanon accounted for a significant rise since 2023, and there have been corresponding rises in health worker arrests and attacks on health facilities."

"The UK government must do everything in its power to support the upholding of international law, including supporting the ICC to investigate and prosecute those responsible. Dr Andrew Green, chair of the British Medical Association's ethics committee, said: When states and armed groups break international humanitarian law with attacks on the wounded and sick, health facilities and health workers, they must be held to account, and governments around the world, including our own, all have a part to play in that process."

Health worker killings in conflicts rose from 175 in 2016 to 932 in 2024, a five-fold increase in less than a decade. Data compiled by the RCN's International Nursing Academy using Insecurity Insights is subject to lengthy cross-checking and is likely an undercount; figures for Palestine rose from 143 to 414 between initial and later reports. Deaths in Palestine, Ukraine and Lebanon drove much of the 2023–24 increase, alongside rises in arrests of health workers and attacks on facilities. More than 1,200 attacks on health workers have been recorded this year and are expected to rise. The UK government is urged to fully back ICC investigations and prosecutions to uphold international humanitarian law.

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