The World Today
The Palestinian enclave recorded about 180 deaths, almost half
On average, one humanitarian worker has been killed, injured, kidnapped or detained every day since 2000, according to Save the Children.
The United Nations reported Tuesday that 383 humanitarian workers died throughout 2024 due to armed conflicts worldwide, a record number concentrated in the Gaza Strip, where around 180 deaths were recorded, almost half of all fatalities.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has called for "urgent" measures to end "impunity" and prevent further deaths. It lamented that this "harmful trend" continues in 2025, with 265 humanitarian workers killed so far this year.
In a statement released on World Humanitarian Day, the UN warned that another 308 of these workers were injured last year, while 125 were reported kidnapped and 45 detained.
Most of these workers "were attacked in the line of duty or in their homes," the report states, reflecting a 31 percent increase in these deaths compared to 2023, when 293 deaths were recorded.
"A single attack on one humanitarian worker is an attack on all of us and the people we serve," said Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. "Attacks of this magnitude, with no accountability, are a shameful display of international inaction and apathy."
In this regard, he demanded "that those with power and influence act in defense of humanity, protect civilians and humanitarian workers, and hold those responsible accountable."
Data shows that the use of violence against humanitarian workers increased in 21 countries throughout 2024 compared to the previous year. In most cases, state actors were responsible for these acts.
The NGO Save the Children has noted that an aid worker has been killed, injured, kidnapped, or detained every day since 2000, an average that makes 2025 one of the deadliest years in history for these workers.
Since 2000, more than 8,500 serious attacks against humanitarian workers have been recorded, according to the latest data from the Aid Worker Safety Database (AWSD). "Being an aid worker is increasingly dangerous, and the risks increase year after year, despite international law prohibiting such attacks," the statement said.
