The conflict between the US, Israel and Iran, which began on February 28, 2026 with massive air strikes, has massively destabilized medical care in the Middle East after a week. Hospitals and health facilities in Iran, Lebanon, Israel and neighboring countries have been damaged, evacuated or rendered inoperable. The World Health Organization (WHO) has verified at least 13 attacks on health facilities in Iran as of March 5, 2026, with three deaths among medical staff and reports of four medical workers killed and 25 injured that are still under investigation. At least one incident has been confirmed in Lebanon. These figures underline the systematic vulnerability of protected facilities under international humanitarian law. The escalation is leading to acute shortages of treatments, rising death rates from untreated injuries and outbreaks of disease. In the following, concrete case studies are described in detail to make the effects tangible.

Gandhi Hospital (also Gandi Hospital) in Tehran
The Gandhi Hospital in northern Tehran was severely damaged on March 1 or 2, 2026, when an airstrike struck in close proximity. Satellite images and verified videos show broken windows, collapsed facades and debris on the site. The hospital had to be completely evacuated: patients, including newborns, were hastily taken to surrounding facilities or temporary zones. The head of the Iranian Medical Association, Mohammad Raeiszadeh, reported on the spot that the in vitro fertilization (IVF) department was completely destroyed. Equipment, stored embryos and cells were lost – a loss that threatens the existence of affected couples and hinders fertility treatments in the region in the long term. One employee suffered a serious head injury. The hospital, which previously served as a civilian facility, is located opposite a suspected military target, which led to collateral damage. Evacuation under bombing conditions significantly increased the risk for vulnerable patients.

Khatam Hospital in Tehran
The Khatam Hospital is one of the affected large medical centers in the capital. Iranian authorities reported damage from nearby impacts that damaged structures and paralyzed operations. Patients were transferred, while parts of the building remained unusable. The facility, which focuses on rehabilitation and specialized treatments, could no longer provide routine care. Combined with nationwide power outages and fuel shortages for generators, vital systems failed, leading to complications for intensive care patients.

Valiasr Burn Hospital in Tehran
This special clinic for burn victims was reported as inoperable. Explosions in the surrounding area caused structural damage that made it impossible for operating theatres and intensive care units to operate. Burn victims from the attacks – often civilians from residential areas – could no longer be adequately treated. The lack of specialized resources such as skin graft materials and sterile rooms dramatically exacerbates the prognosis for survivors.

Other facilities in Ahvaz, Chabahar, Hamadan and Sarab
Iranian health authorities reported damage to at least ten other medical centers in these cities. In Hamadan and Sarab, emergency centers and rehabilitation clinics were hit, causing care in rural and western regions to collapse. In Ahvaz, an oil-rich province, the damage hampered the treatment of injured people from industrial and military zones. Four ambulances across the country were damaged, delaying or making it impossible to transport the injured.

Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba (Israel)
On the Israeli side, an Iranian ballistic missile attack hit the Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. The hospital, which treats soldiers and civilians, suffered damage to several departments, including the surgical area. More than 80 people were injured, eight operating theatres and six research laboratories were destroyed. The Israeli military uses the center intensively, which led to a restructuring: patients were transferred to underground areas in order to be able to continue operating under rocket alarms. This incident shows how the conflict is also putting a strain on Israeli infrastructure, forcing improvised measures such as the conversion of underground car parks into treatment rooms.

Impact in Lebanon – Closure of primary care centres
Evacuation orders following Israeli attacks on Hezbollah positions forced 43 primary care centers and two hospitals to close. In Beirut and border regions, facilities were damaged by nearby impacts. Over 60,000 displaced people have lost access to basic services, leading to shortages of blood supplies, antibiotics and vaccinations. Infectious diseases spread in overcrowded camps.

IVF department at Gandhi Hospital – long-term consequences
The loss of the IVF department at Gandhi Hospital affects hundreds of couples whose stored samples have been destroyed or inaccessible. Those affected report psychological stress and uncertainty about future family planning. In a country with a high infertility rate due to environmental factors and sanctions, this exacerbates an already precarious situation.

Collateral damage in Tehran – evacuation under fire
Videos show medical personnel carrying patients, including infants, out of damaged buildings as explosions continue. A pregnant patient or newborn were transported at the risk of their lives. Such scenes increase the trauma for staff and patients.

These specific cases illustrate how the war is destroying medical care: direct and indirect damage leads to evacuations, staff shortages, resource shortages and rising death rates. In Iran alone, 70 percent of imported medicines are already missing due to sanctions and blockades; the conflict makes this irreversible. Chronically ill people (diabetes, cancer, dialysis) die untreated. Mental health is collapsing: traumas, suicides and depression are increasing.

Without humanitarian corridors, protection of facilities and de-escalation, there is a risk of a collapse of health systems for years. The first seven days have shown that military targets collide with civilian infrastructure – with catastrophic consequences for millions.

The original article was published by LabNews.io. Responsible for the content is LabNews Media LLC .

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Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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