At least 350 humanitarian workers killed worldwide in 2025 – crisis hotspots in the Gaza Strip and Sudan dominate the toll

The most dangerous operating environments

Boris Breyer, board member of the German section of Doctors Without Borders, said of the figures: „Auch 2025 waren humanitäre Helferinnen und Helfer in vielen Ländern großen Gefahren ausgesetzt. Sie arbeiten oft unermüdlich und bis an den Rand der Erschöpfung." He pointed out that aid workers are increasingly being killed while under fire, in airstrikes, and in targeted assaults, despite being protected under international law.

In addition to the killings, Humanitarian Outcomes recorded a rising number of serious incidents: attacks on convoys, looting of camps and hospitals, and the denial of access to populations in need. Several organizations have had to temporarily suspend or completely discontinue their programs because staff can no longer be protected.

Rising number of serious incidents

International aid agencies such as UNICEF, SOS Children's Villages, and Doctors Without Borders lament that attacks on humanitarian personnel are no longer a marginal phenomenon, but have become part of the strategic pattern in conflicts. The United Nations adopted a resolution early in 2026 classifying attacks on aid workers as war crimes; however, enforcement remains patchy.

In Syria as well, where the city of Hama came under the control of armed groups last year, several local staff members died, according to aid organizations. The aid agencies are therefore demanding not only better protection mechanisms, but also concrete prosecution of those responsible on all sides of conflicts.

Local aid workers particularly affected

Humanitarian Outcomes points out that 95 percent of the aid workers killed in 2025 were local staff working in their own communities. Foreign workers made up only a small share. This makes clear that the international community is losing, above all, those who work closest to the suffering of the population.

Breyer stressed that humanitarian aid can only remain effective if international law is consistently enforced. „Wenn Helferinnen und Helfer nicht mehr sicher arbeiten können, trifft das immer die Schwächsten", he warned. The aid organizations called on governments to permanently guarantee access for humanitarian corridors and to publicly document protection violations.

The German federal government stated that it would push for closer coordination on the protection of humanitarian missions at the EU level. At the same time, the Federal Foreign Office pointed out that the safety of personnel also depends on compliance with international humanitarian law by all parties to conflicts.

International reactions and demands

The analysis also shows that the number of attacks on health facilities continued to rise in 2025. At least 130 documented incidents targeted hospitals, mobile clinics, or vaccination campaigns, further worsening the already strained supply situation in conflict regions.

Humanitarian Outcomes plans to update the report annually and announced an interactive online platform on which incidents can be tracked on a daily basis. The aim is to increase international attention to the dangers facing humanitarian workers and to build pressure on governments and parties to conflicts.