UNITED NATIONS, United States, Aug 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The number of aid 
workers killed worldwide in 2025 reached 350, with the most fatalities in 
Gaza and Sudan, the United Nations said Wednesday, calling attacks on 
humanitarians "unacceptable."

Some 186 humanitarians were killed in Gaza -- the deadliest place for aid 
workers for the third year running -- followed by Sudan with 71 killed.

2025's death toll was slightly lower than that of 2024, when 377 aid workers 
were killed.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cited the 
figures from the research and advisory group Humanitarian Outcomes in a 
statement marking World Humanitarian Day.

"More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is 
utterly unacceptable," Tom Fletcher, under-secretary-general for humanitarian 
affairs, said in the statement.

"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," he said. "And for those who break the rules, there must 
be real consequences."

Since the start of 2026, 82 more aid workers have been killed, with 97 more 
injured and 39 abducted worldwide.

OCHA voiced particular concern over the proliferation of armed drones "that 
are putting lethal power into ever more hands and sending more explosive 
weapons into towns and cities."

In Sudan, armed drones caused 80 percent of civilian deaths in the first four 
months of 2026, hitting markets and health facilities, the statement said, 
also noting casualties from drone attacks in the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Weaponized drones have become the new face of an old danger: the deliberate 
or reckless destruction of civilian life," Fletcher said.