The Government has condemned the suspected computer hack on a leading British surgeon as it described the targeting of hospitals in Syria as "unparalleled brutality".

Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary, has launched an £11 million fund to try and find innovative ways to deliver healthcare in war zones. Medical supplies have become a target in what she described as a "blatant breach of international humanitarian law".

News of the fund comes after renowned consultant David Nott revealed his fears that a hack on his computer led to the bombing of a Syrian hospital suspected to have been carried out by Russian warplanes.

It is hoped that the Dfid fund could provide solutions such as a secure way to deliver instructions into war zones with a lower risk of being hacked, and new tools to make complex medical tasks easier for those with less training.