Attacks on aid workers hit record high as 907 are killed, injured or kidnapped worldwide

Violence against humanitarian workers reached a record level in 2025, with 907 aid personnel killed, injured or kidnapped worldwide as conflicts increasingly exposed relief teams to airstrikes, drones, gunfire and abduction. The figure rose from 833 in 2024 and was released by the United Nations around World Humanitarian Day on August 19, highlighting the growing dangers facing organisations attempting to deliver food, healthcare and emergency assistance inside war zones.

Of the 907 humanitarian workers affected, 350 were killed. Although that was slightly below the record 387 deaths recorded in 2024, it remained the second-highest annual fatality toll in the Aid Worker Security Database. Gaza was by far the deadliest location, accounting for 186 humanitarian worker deaths during 2025, while Sudan recorded 71.

The deterioration has continued into 2026. United Nations figures released for World Humanitarian Day show that at least 82 humanitarian workers have already been killed this year, while 97 have been injured and 39 kidnapped. United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said more than 1,000 aid workers have now been killed over just three years, underscoring how rapidly operating conditions have deteriorated in several major conflicts.

A notable part of the emerging threat is the increasing use of inexpensive armed drones. Fletcher said cheap, adaptable unmanned systems are changing warfare and expanding the risks facing humanitarian teams that operate close to front lines, evacuation routes and civilian infrastructure. Aid convoys and workers have faced drone attacks in conflicts including Sudan, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Why did attacks on humanitarian workers reach a record 907 incidents during 2025?

The 907 figure covers aid workers who were killed, wounded or kidnapped in major security incidents recorded by the Aid Worker Security Database. That represents an increase of around 9% from the 833 humanitarian workers affected in 2024, even though the number killed declined slightly from the previous year’s extraordinary peak.

The data indicate that humanitarian operations are becoming dangerous across several dimensions simultaneously. Aid workers may be caught in aerial bombardment or drone strikes, deliberately attacked by armed groups, abducted for political or financial purposes, or exposed while transporting assistance through active conflict zones.

Local humanitarian employees carry much of that risk because international aid programmes frequently depend on national staff who remain inside affected communities throughout conflicts. The Aid Worker Security Database records attacks against both international and national humanitarian personnel, allowing the global pattern to be tracked across different organisations and crises.

The consequences extend beyond individual casualties. When organisations cannot safely move personnel, they may reduce operations, suspend deliveries or withdraw from dangerous locations. Violence against a comparatively small number of aid workers can therefore restrict assistance for far larger civilian populations.

Why was Gaza the world’s deadliest location for humanitarian workers in 2025?

Gaza accounted for 186 humanitarian worker deaths during 2025, more than half of the worldwide total of 350. The territory remained the deadliest operating environment for humanitarian personnel for a third consecutive year, according to United Nations data.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has reported that at least 393 of its staff have been killed since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7, 2023. Israel has maintained that its military seeks to avoid civilian casualties while conducting operations against Hamas, but the scale of humanitarian worker deaths has intensified calls for investigations and stronger protection mechanisms.

Gaza’s casualty figures have particular significance because aid organisations operate in an environment where humanitarian need and security risk overlap extensively. Staff involved in food distribution, healthcare, shelter and logistics can be exposed to the same bombardment and displacement affecting the wider population.

Former United Nations Relief and Works Agency chief Philippe Lazzarini has sought the creation of a high-level panel to investigate deaths involving agency personnel, reflecting growing pressure for accountability when humanitarian workers are killed during military operations.

How has Sudan become the second-deadliest country for aid workers worldwide?

Sudan recorded 71 humanitarian worker deaths in 2025, making it the second-deadliest operating environment after Gaza. Fatalities increased for a fifth consecutive year as conflict continued between rival armed forces and humanitarian agencies struggled to reach communities facing displacement, hunger and damaged healthcare systems.

Aid convoys in Sudan have repeatedly been attacked, while workers must navigate checkpoints, front lines and rapidly shifting areas of military control. The country illustrates how humanitarian personnel can face danger not only at fixed facilities but during the transport of food, medicines and other supplies.

The security problem is especially damaging when communities can only be reached through a limited number of roads or humanitarian corridors. An attack on a convoy can interrupt deliveries for days or weeks while organisations reassess routes and security arrangements.

That creates a cycle in which the populations experiencing the most severe conflict can also become the hardest to reach with assistance.

Why are cheap armed drones creating a new danger for humanitarian teams in war zones?

The spread of armed drones is changing the risk calculation for humanitarian organisations because relatively inexpensive systems can now strike vehicles, buildings and personnel far behind traditional front lines. Fletcher identified drone proliferation as one of the factors increasing danger for aid workers.

In March 2026, drone strikes in Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least three people, including a French humanitarian worker. Aid convoys in Ukraine and Sudan have also repeatedly faced drone-related threats.

The difficulty is that humanitarian vehicles and facilities often operate close to civilian populations and military activity. Even when they are clearly identified, fast-moving conflicts and widespread use of unmanned systems can leave little time for personnel to react.

The threat is broader than drones alone. United Nations reporting also points to kidnappings, small-arms attacks, aerial bombardment and restrictions on humanitarian access as continuing dangers. In 2026 alone, 39 aid workers had already been kidnapped by the time the World Humanitarian Day figures were released.

What are the key takeaways from the record violence against aid workers reported on World Humanitarian Day 2026?

• A record 907 humanitarian workers were killed, injured or kidnapped worldwide during 2025, up from 833 in 2024.
• Of those affected, 350 humanitarian workers were killed, making 2025 the second-deadliest year on record for aid worker fatalities.
• Gaza was the deadliest operating environment, with 186 humanitarian workers killed during 2025, representing more than half of the worldwide fatality total.
• Sudan ranked second with 71 humanitarian worker deaths as continuing conflict made relief operations increasingly dangerous.
• The United Nations says at least 82 aid workers have already been killed in 2026, while another 97 have been injured and 39 kidnapped.
• More than 1,000 humanitarian workers have been killed worldwide over the past three years, according to United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.
• Armed drones are becoming an increasingly important threat to humanitarian operations in conflicts including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Ukraine.

Why could record aid worker attacks make the world’s humanitarian crises even harder to manage?

The biggest consequence of the record is not simply that humanitarian work has become more dangerous. The deeper problem is that attacks on aid personnel can reduce the amount of assistance reaching civilians precisely when wars, displacement and food insecurity are increasing demand.

Aid organisations cannot operate indefinitely when staff, vehicles and facilities become recurring targets. Greater security requirements also consume funding that would otherwise be available for food, medical care and shelter, while repeated attacks can make recruitment and retention harder in the most dangerous locations.

The numbers therefore reveal a multiplier effect. The 907 humanitarian workers killed, injured or kidnapped in 2025 represent individual victims, but every disrupted convoy, evacuated field office or suspended programme can affect thousands more people who depend on those operations.

World Humanitarian Day 2026 consequently arrives with an unusually stark warning. Humanitarian organisations are being asked to respond to some of the largest conflicts and displacement crises in the world while the people delivering that assistance face record levels of violence themselves. Unless governments and armed groups create safer conditions for humanitarian access, the growing danger to aid workers risks becoming another force restricting assistance to civilians already trapped inside war.