At least 350 humanitarian workers lost their lives globally last year, marking another distressing year for violence against aid workers, as reported by the United Nations. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that the death toll slightly decreased from the previous year, which saw 387 aid workers losing their lives. Alongside the fatalities, 322 aid workers were wounded in attacks in 2025, while 235 were abducted, according to the Aid Worker Security Database.
UN Secretary General António Guterres, in a video message on World Humanitarian Day, emphasized the escalating dangers faced by those serving others. The Gaza Strip retained its position as the most perilous location for aid workers for the third consecutive year, with 186 fatalities recorded last year during Israel’s conflict in the Palestinian enclave. Additionally, 71 aid workers perished in Sudan in 2025, amidst an ongoing civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since 2023.
The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, stressed the unacceptable toll of over 1,000 aid worker deaths in just three years, calling for states to uphold international humanitarian law and utilize all available means to safeguard civilians and aid workers.
In the current year, OCHA reported that 82 aid workers have been killed, 97 injured, and 39 abducted. The UN also expressed concern over the increasing use of armed drones in conflict zones, highlighting their devastating impact on civilian populations. Drones have been utilized in attacks on markets and health facilities in Sudan, resulting in a significant proportion of civilian casualties in 2026. Fletcher emphasized that weaponized drones represent a new form of endangering civilian lives through deliberate or reckless actions.