Targeting humanitarians? More aid workers killed in 2024 than ever

This is the most lethal year to be a humanitarian worker. Of 281 aid workers killed, most have been in Palestine.

More aid workers have been killed in 2024 than in any other year on record, the United Nations has said.

At least 281 aid workers have been killed across 19 countries, surpassing the previous record of 280 aid workers killed in 2023, according to data from the Aid Worker Security Database (AWDS).

Nearly two-thirds (178) of humanitarian workers killed were in Palestine. Israel killed 175 aid workers in Gaza and three in the occupied West Bank.

Since October 7, 2023, at least 333 humanitarian workers in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to the UN.

The lifesaving work aid workers do

Aid workers, also called humanitarian workers, are critical in delivering life-saving assistance to communities affected by crises such as conflicts, natural disasters or poverty.

They distribute food, provide shelter, offer medical care, ensure access to clean water and sanitation, and deliver other essential crisis management services.

Humanitarian workers usually work with not-for-profit organisations, including UN agencies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as well as international and national nongovernmental organisations (NGOs).

The majority of aid workers are local staff who play a central role in delivering assistance, supported by international workers who provide additional expertise and resources.

In Gaza, most aid workers are employed by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Since October 7, at least 243 of UNRWA’s 13,000 staff members have been killed – one out of every 50 employees – the highest staff death toll in UN history.

Threats to aid workers worldwide

Outside Palestine, at least 103 aid workers have been killed this year, including 25 in Sudan, 11 in Ukraine and 11 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

“They show the best interest humanity has to offer. And they are getting killed, in record numbers, in return,” OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters on Friday at a briefing in Geneva.

“States and parties to conflict must protect humanitarians, uphold international law, prosecute those responsible and call time on this era of impunity,” Tom Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator concluded.