Nearly a decade after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2286, which condemned attacks on healthcare in armed conflict and called for an end to impunity, such attacks remain a persistent feature of contemporary conflicts. This phenomenon is taking place in Gaza, Ukraine, Iran, Sudan, and Ethiopia, to mention a few. The list could go on. After briefly introducing how conflict affects health and the key role of medical personnel and infrastructure in such contexts, I will examine how International Humanitarian Law (IHL), the branch of International Law regulating the conduct of hostilities, protects healthcare in conflict. I will discuss the adequacy of these rules and whether the existing legal framework could be improved. Finally, I will analyse the lack of accountability for violations of these rules and the reasons behind it.

Giulia Bosi  is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer in International Law at Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy. Her expertise lies in the fields of health and human rights, the normative development at the World Health Organization, and the protection of health in armed conflict. In 2021, she was appointed as that year's Italian Delegate for Health to the G7 Youth, the official youth engagement group for the G7.  Since 2026, she has been an associate member of the Global Health Law Consortium, a collaborative research initiative to advance global health law.