Humanitarian office says 186 personnel killed in 2025, warns drones exposing civilians, workers to growing danger
A woman stands near destroyed tents sheltering already displaced Palestinians, following an overnight Israeli strike on a medicine warehouse, according to medics, in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, August 1, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
Gaza remained the world’s deadliest place for humanitarian workers for the third consecutive year, with 186 aid personnel killed in 2025, the United Nations humanitarian office said Wednesday.
Sudan ranked second, with 71 aid workers killed during the year, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement marking World Humanitarian Day.
Worldwide, 907 humanitarian workers were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2025, setting another record for violence against aid personnel, according to figures from Humanitarian Outcomes’ Aid Worker Security Database.
Although the annual death toll fell slightly to 350, the UN humanitarian office said the overall level of violence showed no sign of easing. A further 322 aid workers were injured and 235 kidnapped.
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“More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable,” said Tom Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.
“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. And for those who break the rules, there must be real consequences,” he added.
Violence has continued in 2026, with at least 82 aid workers killed, 97 injured and 39 kidnapped worldwide so far, the UN humanitarian office said.
Drones pose threats
It warned that the proliferation of inexpensive and adaptable armed drones is exposing civilians and humanitarian personnel to growing danger, particularly in urban areas.
Armed drones accounted for 80% of civilian deaths in Sudan during the first four months of 2026, striking locations including markets and health facilities, according to the UN humanitarian office.
In Ukraine, drones killed 80 civilians in April alone, while drone attacks also killed civilians and damaged civilian infrastructure in Russia. Attacks involving weaponised drones in Colombia quadrupled between 2024 and 2025.
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Aid workers have increasingly been caught in such attacks. A humanitarian worker was killed in a drone strike on a residential building in the Democratic Republic of Congo in March, while four humanitarian convoys were hit in Ukraine during a single week in May.
“Weaponised drones have become the new face of an old danger: the deliberate or reckless destruction of civilian life,” Fletcher said. “The technology may change, but the laws of war do not.”
