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Record attacks in 2025
The United Nations said a record number of aid workers faced violent attacks in 2025, with 907 aid workers killed, injured or kidnapped, as the Aid Worker Security Database compiled major incidents affecting humanitarian personnel.
“Some 907 aid workers were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2025”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the level of violence was appalling and urged states to respect the rules of war and hold perpetrators accountable, adding, "Serving others has become more dangerous than ever."
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the proliferation of cheap and adaptable armed drones in conflicts has increased the risks, and he pointed to March drone strikes that hit Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least three people including a French aid worker.
The UN said Gaza was by far the most deadly place for humanitarian workers in 2025 with 186 humanitarians killed there last year, followed by Sudan, as the database showed.
The UN also said the UN Palestinian refugee agency has reported at least 393 staff killed since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, while Israel said it goes to great lengths to avoid all civilian casualties.
Drones reshape the threat
The UN warned that armed drones are reshaping battlefields worldwide, putting humanitarian teams increasingly in the line of fire, and it said 907 aid workers were victims of violence last year while carrying out lifesaving work.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, "Disinformation is eroding trust. Humanitarian funding is being cut. And humanitarian access is being restricted," as he honoured aid workers worldwide facing threats, arrest and detention.
Tom Fletcher said, "But just calling it out will not protect the next aid worker," and he urged states to uphold international humanitarian law and use every tool to protect civilians and humanitarian colleagues.
OCHA said in Sudan, armed drones were responsible for 80 per cent of civilian deaths in the first four months of 2026, striking places including markets and health facilities, while in Ukraine drones killed 80 civilians in April this year alone.
The UN also said the World Health Organization has recorded 639 attacks on healthcare this year already, and it cited March when an aid worker was killed when a drone struck a residential building in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Protection and consequences
The UN said violence against humanitarian workers has continued into 2026, with another 322 aid workers injured and 235 kidnapped so far, as the Humanitarian Outcomes’ Aid Worker Security Database tracked incidents.
“More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable”
Tom Fletcher said, "More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable," and he added that for those who break the rules, there must be real consequences.
The UN said Gaza remained deadliest for the third consecutive year in 2025 with 186 killed, and it said in Sudan a record 71 aid workers were killed, mostly from small arms fire, as conflict drove fatalities for the fifth year in a row.
The UN warned that humanitarian organisations are working to reach 87 million people facing the most severe needs around the world this year, while calling for international humanitarian law to protect civilians and respect humanitarian personnel.
In a separate UN-linked framing, the European Union said attacks targeting humanitarian workers violate international law and referred to OCHA data confirming the killing of 82 humanitarian workers since the start of the year, abductions of 39, and injuries to 97 others.
