A record of 383 humanitarian workers were killed in 2024

A record 383 humanitarian workers were killed and hundreds more injured in 2024, 31 percent more victims in this area than the previous year, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordination Office said this Tuesday on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day. “These data should make us wake up and call for the protection of all civilians in conflicts and crisis situations, and demand an end to impunity,” said the agency, which coordinates humanitarian work on the ground of different UN agencies, as well as civil aid and relief organizations. In 2023, 280 casualties were recorded within humanitarian personnel. In addition to the fatalities, in 2024, 308 humanitarian workers were injured while carrying out their mission, 125 were kidnapped, and 45 were detained. In the vast majority of cases, the victims were national staff of the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations who were serving in their communities and who were attacked while carrying out their mission or in their own homes. “Attacks on this scale, with zero accountability, are a shameful display of international inaction and apathy,” said UN humanitarian coordinator Tom Fletcher. “As a humanitarian community, we demand, once again, that those with power and influence act in favor of humanity, protect civilians and humanitarian personnel, and hold those responsible accountable,” he added.

Gaza, the most dangerous territory for humanitarian workers

Attacks against humanitarian workers, their assets, and their operations violate international humanitarian law and undermine the livelihoods of millions of people trapped in war zones and disasters. The most dangerous terrains for humanitarian workers are, without a doubt, the Palestinian territory of Gaza, where 181 humanitarian workers died, and Sudan, where 60 people lost their lives last year. Violence against humanitarian workers increased in 21 countries in 2024 compared to the previous year, with state actors being the most common perpetrators.