At least 350 humanitarian workers lost their lives globally last year, marking another tragic 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 decreased slightly from 2024, the deadliest year on record with 387 aid workers killed worldwide. Alongside the fatalities, at least 322 aid workers were wounded in attacks in 2025, while 235 were abducted, according to data from the Aid Worker Security Database.

UN Secretary General António Guterres, in a video message on World Humanitarian Day, expressed that serving others has become increasingly perilous. The Gaza Strip retained its status as the most dangerous place for aid workers for the third consecutive year, with 186 fatalities reported last year during Israel’s conflict in the Palestinian enclave, according to OCHA.

In Sudan, where a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has been ongoing since 2023, 71 aid workers were killed in 2025. The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, condemned the spate of attacks, emphasizing that more than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in the past three years, deeming it unacceptable.

As of the current year, OCHA reported that 82 aid workers have been killed, 97 injured, and 39 kidnapped. The UN also expressed concern over the increasing use of armed drones in conflict zones, highlighting their destructive impact on civilian life. In Sudan, drones have been utilized to target markets and health facilities, resulting in a significant number of civilian casualties, while drone attacks in Ukraine claimed the lives of at least 80 civilians in April.

Fletcher warned that weaponized drones represent a new form of the longstanding danger of deliberate or reckless civilian harm, emphasizing the urgent need for states to uphold international humanitarian law and take decisive measures to safeguard aid workers and civilians alike.