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Record attacks in 2025
The United Nations said attacks on humanitarian workers reached a record high in 2025, with 907 aid workers killed, injured or kidnapped, compared with 833 the year before.
“Some 907 aid workers were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2025 versus 833 the year before”
Reuters reported that of those 907, 350 were killed, down slightly from 387 in 2024, and that Gaza was the most deadly place with 186 humanitarians killed there in 2025.
The UN said the trend was driven partly by increased use of armed drones, and UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said the proliferation of cheap and adaptable armed drones in conflicts increased the risks.
Reuters also cited a March example in which drone strikes hit Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least three people including a French aid worker.
The UN Secretary-General António 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."
Guterres and Fletcher on drones
UN News said the UN marked World Humanitarian Day warning that 907 aid workers were victims of violence last year while carrying out lifesaving work in conflict zones.
UN News said fatalities fell in 2025 but remained historically high, with 350 humanitarian staff killed, and that the wider pattern of violence has shown no sign of easing this year, with another 322 aid workers injured and 235 kidnapped so far in 2026.
In his message for the day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, "Disinformation is eroding trust. Humanitarian funding is being cut. And humanitarian access is being restricted," calling on Member States to stand up for aid workers.
UN News quoted Tom Fletcher saying, "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."
UN News also tied the threat to drones, saying cheap and adaptable armed drones are putting humanitarian teams increasingly in the line of fire and that "Weaponised drones have become the new face of an old danger".
What is at stake now
The UN said Gaza remained the deadliest context for aid workers in 2025 for the third consecutive year, with 186 killed, and that 68 per cent of those deaths were by aerial bombardment.
“Gaza remained the deadliest context for aid workers in 2025 for the third consecutive year, with 186 killed”
In Sudan, UN News said continued intense conflict drove up fatalities for the fifth year in a row, with a record 71 aid workers killed, mostly from small arms fire.
UN News warned that humanitarian organisations are also confronting a rapidly changing battlefield where armed drones allow explosive attacks to reach deeper into towns and cities, and it said in Sudan armed drones were responsible for 80 per cent of civilian deaths in the first four months of 2026.
UN News said the World Health Organization has recorded 639 attacks on healthcare this year already, and it cited a March incident in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in which an aid worker was killed when a drone struck a residential building.
The UN also said humanitarian organisations are working to reach 87 million people facing the most severe needs worldwide, while calling on parties to armed conflicts to protect civilians and respect humanitarian personnel working to provide assistance.
