At least 350 humanitarian workers lost their lives globally last year, marking another tragic year for violence against aid workers, according to the United Nations. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported a slight decrease in the death toll compared to 2024, which was the deadliest year on record with 387 aid workers killed worldwide. Alongside these fatalities, 322 aid workers sustained injuries in attacks in 2025, while 235 were abducted, as per the Aid Worker Security Database.
UN Secretary General António Guterres highlighted the escalating dangers faced by those serving others, emphasizing that providing humanitarian assistance has become increasingly perilous. The Gaza Strip emerged as the most hazardous environment for aid workers for the third consecutive year, with 186 fatalities reported last year amidst Israel’s conflict in the Palestinian enclave, as stated by OCHA. Additionally, 71 aid workers lost their lives in Sudan in 2025, where a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has been ongoing since 2023.
Expressing grave concern, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, condemned the unacceptable toll of over 1,000 aid worker fatalities in just three years. Fletcher stressed the urgent need for states to uphold international humanitarian law and deploy all available measures to safeguard civilians and aid workers. He emphasized the necessity of imposing real consequences on those who violate humanitarian laws.
OCHA reported that 82 aid workers have already been killed this year, with 97 injured and 39 kidnapped. The UN also raised alarm regarding the increasing use of “inexpensive and versatile armed drones” in conflict zones. Drones have been utilized to target markets and health facilities in Sudan, resulting in 80% of civilian casualties in the first four months of 2026. Furthermore, drone attacks claimed the lives of at least 80 civilians in Ukraine in April this year.
Fletcher warned that weaponized drones represent a new form of a long-standing threat, contributing to the deliberate or negligent destruction of civilian lives.