A new shocking record of 383 aid workers killed in 2024 must be a wake-up call to protect all civilians in conflict and crisis, and to end impunity, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday, marking World Humanitarian Day. Most of the aid workers killed last year were national staff members who were attacked in the line of duty or in their homes while serving their communities.
According to the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD), 861 aid workers were victims of major security incidents in 2024. Among them, 308 were wounded, 125 were kidnapped, and 45 were detained.
“Even one attack against a humanitarian colleague is an attack on all of us and on the people we serve,” said Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
“Attacks on this scale, with zero accountability, are a shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy. As the humanitarian community, we demand – again – that those with power and influence act for humanity, protect civilians and aid workers and hold perpetrators to account.”
In 2024, violence against aid workers increased in 21 countries compared to the previous year. The 31 percent surge in deaths of aid workers compared to 2023 was driven by relentless warfare in Gaza and Sudan. In Gaza, 181 humanitarian workers were killed, and in Sudan, 60 lost their lives.
Since October 2023, 520 aid workers — mostly UN staff — have been killed in Gaza, making it the deadliest place for humanitarians on the globe.
In Sudan, attacks on aid workers mostly occurred at project sites and offices, signaling that belligerents were deliberately targeting humanitarian efforts and personnel.
State actors were the most common perpetrators. Most of the humanitarian workers slain in 2024 were killed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip. The overwhelming majority of recorded killings and attacks on aid workers in Gaza and other conflict zones targeted national staff.
According to AWSD, state actors have steadily become the most common perpetrators of violence against aid workers in recent years.
The other humanitarian emergencies with the highest number of victims in 2024 were in South Sudan, Nigeria, Lebanon, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Somalia, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Aerial bombardment and small arms fire were the most prevalent means of attack in these countries.
“Violence against aid workers is not inevitable. It must end,” Fletcher said.
Meanwhile, the number of kidnappings increased in South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, and Sudan.
Attacks on humanitarian workers, assets, and operations violate international humanitarian law and undermine the lifelines that sustain millions of people trapped in war and disaster zones. Targeting these individuals and operations constitutes a war crime.
The first eight months of 2025 show no sign of reversing the disturbing trend. As of August 19, 2025, 265 aid workers have been killed, according to provisional data from AWSD. Of those, two-thirds — 173 — were in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
In May 2024, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2730, which reaffirmed the obligation of parties to conflicts and UN member states to protect humanitarian personnel. The resolution also called for independent investigations into violations. However, the lack of accountability remains pervasive and impunity widespread.
“This is more than a statistical spike. It is a stain – the normalization of violence against this community […] Enough,” Fletcher said, speaking in Geneva on Tuesday at the World Humanitarian Day 2025 Commemoration Ceremony.
“Zero accountability, an indictment of international inaction and apathy. The member states must not accept it. Enough.”
The UN relief chief said that the humanitarian movement demands protection for civilians and aid workers, and that the perpetrators must be held accountable.
On this World Humanitarian Day, aid workers and their supporters are commemorating those who have been killed and standing in solidarity with those who are serving people in need. They are demanding urgent protection for civilians and aid operations.
The #ActForHumanity global campaign has been relaunched with added urgency, calling on the public to stand with humanitarians, demand protection, and support the lifelines they provide.
The latest verified casualty statistics are based on data from the Aid Worker Security Database. Since its inception in 2005, AWSD has recorded major incidents of violence against aid workers with reports dating back to 1997. The database is a project of Humanitarian Outcomes.
Humanitarian Outcomes is a London-based team of specialist consultants who provide research and policy advice to humanitarian aid agencies and donor governments. The organization is registered as a private limited company in the United Kingdom.
Further information
Website: Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD)
https://www.aidworkersecurity.org
Full text: Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD): Figures at a Glance 2025, Humanitarian Outcomes, report, released August 2025
https://humanitarianoutcomes.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/AWSD2025_Figures_FINAL.pdf
Website: World Humanitarian Day
https://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/