ICN raises grave concerns over plight of innocents, including children, caught up in conflict zones

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has once again raised its grave concerns about the threats to health of people who are caught up in war zones, many of whom are being illegally subjected to inhuman living conditions.

Earlier this week the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted its concerns about the humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding in Gaza, where food shortages mean millions of people are being subjected to hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death.

Since then, there have been further deadly attacks on health care facilities and staff in Gaza, which suggests that the failure to investigate and hold the perpetrators of previous attacks to account has, in some way legitimized and normalised these assaults.

Commenting on WHO’s statement, ICN President Pamela Cipriano said: “The current situation is appalling and one of many tragic examples from around the world where innocent people are suffering intolerably in the face of a callous disregard for their well-being, their basic human rights, their health and even their lives.

‘This behaviour is completely unacceptable and must be stopped. The world’s nurses are witnessing these atrocities and extreme suffering as they carry out their duties, often in unimaginably difficult conditions. The perpetrators of these acts, which are forbidden under International Humanitarian Laws, must be held accountable for their actions. Negotiations to end the humanitarian aid blockade and achieve a permanent ceasefire must succeed to end the killing and attacks on health care.”

The second State of the World’s Nursing 2025 (SOWN) report, which was published by WHO earlier this week, highlights that nurses working in conflict zones face enormous risks, including bombings, attacks on health facilities, sexual violence and kidnapping, all while working without adequate medical supplies, medications and personal protective equipment. It says the stress of the demands of working in such environments takes a significant psychological toll on nurses, leading to burnout, moral injury, and mental health challenges.

ICN Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton, who was co-chair of the steering committee of SOWN 2025 report, called on the international community to uphold international humanitarian law, which is designed to regulate the conduct of wars and armed conflicts.

He said: “We're launching the SOWN report into an uncertain period as a result of increasing conflicts, of wars, combined with decisions to defund health globally as well. Nurses must never be a target, and equally international humanitarian law is clear that blocking supplies of food, water, and medical aid should never be used as a weapon of war.

‘Through ICN’s Nurses for Peace campaign, we're working with nurses in the Middle East, in Afghanistan, in Sudan, in Ukraine, to provide equipment and support, to provide education and training, to provide leadership as well. Because nurses aren't just there for the response to disasters, they're also there for recovery. If we look after our nurses of today, we are looking after the health of tomorrow. One world, one profession, one health.”

ICN will be making several interventions at next week’s World Health Assembly in Geneva, including one on the vital need for the free flow of humanitarian aid, including food and water, in the Middle East.