GNV News, 21 August 2026　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

According to a report published in 2026 by the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD), 350 humanitarian workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the second-highest number on record after 2024. Gaza was the deadliest context with 186 deaths, and together with Sudan’s 71 deaths, these two contexts accounted for three-quarters of all fatalities. They were followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Yemen.

In addition, there were 235 kidnappings and 322 injuries, both record highs. State-led arrests and detentions of aid workers reached 280 cases and have become an increasing concern in recent years. These acts, which violate international humanitarian law, are used as a means to intimidate and control aid workers and to silence and repress civil society. Arrests and detentions are often carried out on the grounds that the neutrality of aid workers is in doubt and that they pose a threat to the state, under pretexts such as espionage allegations or administrative violations. On August 14, 2026, there was also a case in Ukraine in which a Red Cross driver transporting evacuees was detained by police and conscripted.

Looking at overall harm, the number of aid workers affected in 2025 remained high and was still rising at 1,187. Due to cuts in humanitarian funding since 2025, incidents affecting international staff have decreased significantly as their activities have been forced to scale back, but the burden on national staff has grown heavier. A recent trend is the growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles such as drones, which is making the situation increasingly dangerous.

In Gaza, the most dangerous region, most of the aid workers killed or injured in 2025 were victims of airstrikes, while the rest were harmed by small arms and other weapons. Twenty-three workers were detained by Israeli forces. Despite the fact that Gaza has been under a ceasefire since October 2025, casualties continue to occur.

In Sudan, where three years have passed since the start of the conflict described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the number of aid worker deaths has continued to rise year by year. Whereas kidnapping used to be the main form of violence, in 2025 most deaths were caused by small arms. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, incidents affecting aid workers tripled compared to 2024.

Learn more about UN humanitarian assistance → “Challenges Facing the UN-Led Humanitarian Assistance System”

Learn more about the conflict in Sudan → “Sudan: Three Years Since the Start of the Conflict”

Learn more about the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo → “Democratic Republic of the Congo: Overview of the Conflict”

Scene of an investigation into the killing of aid workers in South Sudan, 2018 (Photo: Pjposullivan1 / Flickr [CC BY-SA 2.0])