DID Press: In 2025, at least 326 humanitarian workers were killed across 21 countries affiliated with the United Nations, with more than 560 deaths recorded in Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The organization described the figure as shocking and warned that protection for humanitarian personnel in war zones is rapidly deteriorating.
Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the United Nations Security Council that more than 1,000 aid workers have lost their lives over the past three years—nearly triple the 377 deaths recorded in the preceding three-year period.
According to Fletcher, the majority of casualties occurred in Gaza and the West Bank, where aid workers distributing food, water, medicine, and shelter—even within clearly identified and coordinated convoys—were targeted. He stressed that these deaths were not accidental but resulted from the failure of parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law.
He added that many of these attacks have forced the suspension of relief operations, leading to clinic closures and disruptions in food deliveries, thereby intensifying civilian suffering in affected areas.
Fletcher also criticized restrictions on humanitarian activities in Gaza, stating that these limitations have reduced access for relief organizations and pushed millions of people into increasingly dire conditions.
The UN official urged Security Council members to fulfill their obligations to protect humanitarian workers, warning that continued inaction threatens not only the lives of aid personnel but also the credibility of international law and the authority of the Security Council itself.