In 2024, a record 383 aid workers lost their lives in global conflict zones, with nearly half of the deaths occurring in Gaza during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the United Nations reported on Tuesday, marking World Humanitarian Day.
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s top humanitarian official, said the unprecedented number of deaths should serve as a stark warning about the dangers faced by civilians and aid workers in conflict zones.
“This level of violence — with no consequences for those responsible — reflects a deeply troubling failure by the international community,” Fletcher said. “We once again call on global leaders to take responsibility: protect civilians, safeguard humanitarian workers, and hold violators accountable.”
The Aid Worker Security Database, which has tracked such incidents since 1997, reported that the number of aid worker deaths rose from 293 in 2023 to 383 in 2024 — over 180 of them in Gaza alone.
Most of those killed were local staff working within their own communities, often targeted either while on duty or at home, according to the UN’s humanitarian coordination office (OCHA). The rising trend of violence shows no signs of slowing, OCHA warned.
The total number of significant attacks on aid workers surged to 599 in 2024, compared to 420 the year before. These attacks also left 308 aid workers wounded, while 125 were kidnapped and 45 detained.
So far this year, 245 major attacks have already been recorded, resulting in 265 deaths.
One of the deadliest attacks occurred on March 23 in Rafah, southern Gaza, where Israeli forces opened fire before dawn on a convoy of clearly marked ambulances, killing 15 medics and first responders. Bulldozers reportedly crushed the bodies and vehicles, burying them in a mass grave. UN and rescue teams were unable to reach the scene for a full week.
“An attack on one humanitarian worker is an attack on all of us — and on the people we’re trying to help,” Fletcher said. “This violence must not be accepted as inevitable. It must stop.”
According to the database, aid worker violence rose in 21 countries in 2024, with government forces and their affiliates most often responsible for attacks.
The highest number of major incidents occurred in the Palestinian territories (194), followed by Sudan (64), South Sudan (47), Nigeria (31), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (27).
After Gaza and the West Bank, Sudan saw the second-highest number of aid worker fatalities in 2024, with 60 deaths — more than double the 25 reported in 2023.
In Lebanon, where fighting erupted between Israel and Hezbollah last year, 20 aid workers were killed — a sharp rise from zero in 2023. Ethiopia and Syria each saw 14 aid worker deaths, about double their totals from the previous year. Ukraine reported 13 deaths in 2024, up from six the year before.