United Nations: 350 humanitarian workers killed in 2025

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Monday that the number of humanitarian workers killed in 2025 reached 350, including 186 in Gaza and 71 in Sudan.

In a statement, the office noted that “2025 recorded another tragic record in terms of violence against humanitarian workers, with 907 workers killed, injured, or abducted.”

According to data drawn from the database of the specialized research center “Humanitarian Outcomes,” the number of fatalities was slightly lower than the figure recorded in 2024, which saw 377 humanitarian workers killed.

Since the beginning of 2026, 82 humanitarian workers have been killed, 97 injured, and 39 abducted worldwide, according to OCHA.

Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said, “More than a thousand humanitarian workers have been killed in just three years, which is absolutely unacceptable.”

He added, “Condemnation alone will not provide them with protection. States must comply with international humanitarian law and use all available means to protect civilians and our colleagues. Those who violate the rules must also face the consequences of their actions.”

OCHA pointed out that “the proliferation of cheap, customizable armed drones is deeply concerning, as it grants an increasing number of actors the ability to use lethal force.”

In Sudan, armed drones were responsible for “80% of civilian deaths in the first four months of 2026, particularly targeting markets and health facilities,” according to OCHA.

Fletcher stated that “armed drones have become the new face of an old threat: the deliberate or reckless taking of civilian lives.”

He continued, “Technology may evolve, but the laws of war do not change.”