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A record 383 humanitarian workers were killed in 2024, the highest number ever recorded in a single year, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said Monday.
Marking World Humanitarian Day, UNOCHA called the toll “shocking” and warned that the rise in attacks underscores the urgent need to protect civilians and end impunity in conflict zones.
“Most of the aid workers who died were local personnel serving their own communities,” the U.N. said in a statement. “They were attacked either while on duty or even in their homes.”
In addition to the deaths, 308 humanitarian workers were injured, 125 were abducted, and 45 were detained in 2024, UNOCHA reported. The total represents a 31% increase in fatalities compared to 2023.
The agency said 181 aid workers were killed in Gaza and 60 in Sudan amid what it described as “brutal conflicts.”
The UN warned that the trend shows no signs of slowing. By Aug. 14, 265 aid workers had already been killed, with attacks reported in 21 countries.
“These assaults on aid workers, assets and operations violate international humanitarian law and undermine lifelines for millions trapped in war and disaster zones,” the statement said.
UNOCHA recalled that the U.N. Security Council, in May 2024, adopted Resolution 2730, reaffirming the duty of conflict parties and member states to protect humanitarian personnel and calling for independent investigations into violations. Still, the agency said accountability “remains largely absent.”
U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher condemned the scale of attacks, calling them a “shameful sign of international inaction and indifference.”
“These assaults, carried out without accountability, are attacks on the very people aid workers serve,” Fletcher said. “We demand once again that those with power act for humanity, protect civilians and aid workers, and hold perpetrators to account. Violence against aid workers is not inevitable—it must end.”
The Turkish Red Crescent also issued a press release urging immediate global action to protect humanitarian workers, highlighting the high death toll in Gaza and calling for an international observation and protection mission.
Red Crescent President Fatma Meric Yilmaz said the protection of humanitarian and medical personnel is an obligation under international humanitarian law and unveiled a five-point emergency action plan.
Five-point plan announced
The plan calls for:
Yilmaz said that since October 2023, at least 508 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza, including 346 UN staff and 51 employees of the Palestinian Red Crescent.
‘Turning point for humanity and law’
“What is happening in Gaza is not only a humanitarian crisis but also a turning point where humanity and legal norms are being tested,” the statement read.
The call came days after the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported a record number of aid worker deaths in 2024, underscoring what the Turkish Red Crescent described as Türkiye’s deep-rooted responsibility in the global humanitarian system.
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