UN says 350 aid workers killed in 2025

The United Nations said Monday that 350 aid workers were killed worldwide in 2025, with Gaza and Sudan recording the most fatalities, and called attacks on humanitarians "unacceptable."

The 2025 toll was slightly lower than in 2024, when 377 aid workers were killed. Gaza was the deadliest place for aid workers for the third year running, with 186 humanitarians killed, followed by Sudan with 71. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs cited data from the research and advisory group Humanitarian Outcomes in a statement marking World Humanitarian Day, Al-Monitor reported.

"More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable," said Tom Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs. "But just calling it out will not protect the next aid worker. States must uphold international humanitarian law and use every tool to protect civilians and our colleagues," he said. "And for those who break the rules, there must be real consequences."

Since the start of 2026, 82 aid workers have been killed worldwide, while 97 have been injured and 39 abducted. OCHA expressed particular concern over the spread of armed drones "that are putting lethal power into ever more hands and sending more explosive weapons into towns and cities."

In Sudan, armed drones caused 80 percent of civilian deaths in the first four months of 2026, hitting markets and health facilities, the statement said. It also noted casualties from drone attacks in the Russia-Ukraine war. "Weaponized drones have become the new face of an old danger: the deliberate or reckless destruction of civilian life," Fletcher said.