At least 350 humanitarian workers lost their lives worldwide 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) disclosed that the death toll slightly decreased from the previous year, 2024, which recorded the highest number of fatalities on record with 387 aid workers killed globally. Alongside the fatalities, 322 aid workers sustained injuries in attacks in 2025, while 235 were abducted, according to the Aid Worker Security Database.
UN Secretary General António Guterres highlighted in a video message on World Humanitarian Day that serving others has become increasingly perilous. The Gaza Strip retained its status as the most dangerous area for aid workers for the third consecutive year, with 186 fatalities last year amid the conflict in the region. Additionally, 71 aid workers were killed in Sudan in 2025 due to the ongoing civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since 2023.
Expressing concern, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, stated that over 1,000 aid workers have lost their lives in the past three years, deeming it entirely unacceptable. Fletcher emphasized the necessity for states to uphold international humanitarian law and employ every means to safeguard civilians and aid workers, with severe consequences for those violating the regulations.
In the current year, OCHA reported that 82 aid workers have been killed, 97 injured, and 39 kidnapped. The UN also raised apprehension regarding the utilization of “inexpensive and versatile armed drones” in conflict zones. Drones have been deployed to target markets and health facilities in Sudan, resulting in 80% of civilian casualties in the initial months of 2026. Moreover, drone strikes claimed the lives of at least 80 civilians in Ukraine in April this year, prompting Fletcher to assert that weaponized drones represent a modern manifestation of an enduring threat: the intentional or reckless harm to civilian lives.
