UN reports a record-breaking number of aid workers killed, with close to half of them in Gaza and West Bank.
In recent years, the number of aid workers killed has seen a sharp increase, with 2024 and early 2025 recording the highest fatalities on record. Last year alone, a staggering 383 aid workers lost their lives globally, marking a 31–37% increase over 2023.
Gaza emerged as the deadliest hotspot in 2024, with over 180 aid workers killed. This spike in violence is directly linked to the war between Israel and Hamas. Sudan follows closely as another major hotspot, experiencing a significant rise in attacks on aid workers.
These conflict zones, including Gaza and Sudan, have seen extreme violence that has had a devastating impact on humanitarian personnel. The increase in aid worker fatalities is attributed to intensifying conflicts and funding cuts that have weakened security measures for aid workers.
The majority of those killed are local staff, who make up the majority of frontline aid workers in dangerous areas. This trend indicates growing risks for local and national humanitarian organizations operating in conflict zones.
As of mid-August this year, 265 aid workers have been killed, suggesting no reversal of the disturbing trend from last year. The UN's Aid Worker Security Database, a US-funded platform, tracks major security incidents affecting humanitarian staff.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported 1,121 health workers and patients killed and hundreds injured in attacks across 16 territories, with the most deaths in Sudan. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has reported 18 of its staff and volunteers killed so far this year.
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has stated that funding for humanitarian aid is drying up, while Tom Fletcher, UN under secretary general for humanitarian affairs, has described the high number of aid worker deaths as a "stain" and a normalization of violence against this community.
Fletcher has demanded the protection of civilians and aid workers and accountability for perpetrators. He has emphasized that humanitarians will not retreat, despite the dangers they face. Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, has stated that every attack on humanitarian personnel is a grave betrayal of humanity.
World Humanitarian Day, marked on August 19, commemorates the day in 2003 when UN rights chief Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other humanitarians were killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad. This day serves as a reminder of the risks faced by aid workers and the importance of their work.
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