A strike on a hospital in Sudan killed 64 people and wounded 89 others, the World Health Organization said on Saturday, with 13 children counted among the dead.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the attack on Friday hit Al Daein Teaching Hospital in the state capital of East Darfur, adding that "enough blood has been spilled" and it was time to stop the nearly three-year conflict ravaging Sudan.
The hospital "was struck, killing at least 64 people, including 13 children, two female nurses, one male doctor, and multiple patients", he announced on X.
Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers reported that the hospital was hit by an army drone strike.
Hospital now non-functional
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces dominate the vast Darfur region in western Sudan, while Sudan's army is in control of the east, centre and north.
Tedros said eight health staff were among the wounded in Friday's attack, which damaged the hospital's paediatric, maternity and emergency departments.
The hospital is now non-functional "due to the extensive damage", he said, which resulted in a "critical interruption of essential medical services."
Tedros said the WHO was supporting local health partners to help fill urgent gaps by scaling up capacity at other health facilities, including by increasing capacity to treat the injured, and deploying trauma care supplies and essential medicines.
At least 2,000 people killed in hospitals during wartime
The United Nations' humanitarian office in Sudan said it was "appalled by the attack".
As a result of Friday's tragedy, the total number of people killed in attacks on health care in the conflict has now passed 2,000.
The WHO's SSA site showed 2,036 people have now been killed in 213 such attacks.
"Beyond the devastating human toll, attacks on health care have immediate and long-term consequences for communities already in desperate need of both emergency and routine medical services," Tedros said. "Health care should never be a target. Peace is the best medicine," he said.
Deadly attacks
The SSA figures show attacks on health care in Sudan are growing deadlier by the year.
In 2023, 64 attacks caused 38 deaths, and the following year, 72 attacks led to 200 deaths.
In 2025, 65 attacks caused 1,620 deaths – 82% of reported deaths from attacks on health care worldwide.
