United Nations: Attacks on Relief Workers Reached Record Levels in 2025

The United Nations said on Wednesday that aid workers faced an unprecedented number of attacks last year, attributing the surge in violence to factors including the increased use of armed drones, and described the situation as “horrifying.”

The Aid Worker Security Database, a platform funded by Canada and Australia that tracks major security incidents affecting humanitarian personnel, indicates that approximately 907 aid workers were killed, injured, or kidnapped in 2025, compared to 833 in the previous year.

“Working to serve others has become more dangerous than ever before,” he said.

The statement came ahead of ceremonies planned by the United Nations to mark World Humanitarian Day, with flags flying at half-mast in New York and Geneva in honor of those who lost their lives.

Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said the proliferation of low-cost, flexibly used drones in conflicts has heightened the risks.

In March, drone attacks struck the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least three people, including a French aid worker, while aid convoys in Sudan and Ukraine faced repeated strikes.

The database showed that Gaza was by far the most dangerous area for humanitarian workers in 2025, with 186 aid staff killed there, followed by Sudan.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that at least 393 of its staff were killed there since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023.

Israel, which is fighting the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza, said it is doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.

Bashira Al-Khalidi, global humanitarian policy officer at Oxfam, called for greater protection for aid workers, stating, “We are witnessing an assault on humanitarian work itself.”