The first eight months of 2025 show no sign of reversal of this disturbing trend, with 265 humanitarian workers killed on August 14, according to figures published on World Humanitarian Day.
Attacks on humanitarian workers, assets and operations violate international law and undergo the living lines that support millions of people trapped in war and disaster areas.
“Even an attack on a humanitarian colleague is an attack on us all and against the people we serve,” said Tom Fletcher, Head of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs Coordination (Ochha), speaking in Geneva.
At New York headquarters, the United Nations organized a commemoration ceremony for the victims of the bombing of the United Nations SEIR SES office in Baghdad in 2003, which cost the lives of 22 people. Some of the survivors attended the event.
Protect humanitarian workers
“The humanitarian workers bear hope where there is despair,” said Fletcher during the commemoration ceremony of the humanitarian day for 2025 in Geneva.
“They bring humanity where there is inhumanity.”
However, humanitarian workers are attacked.
In 2024, most of the humanitarian workers killed were national staff serving their communities and were attacked in the exercise of their duties or at home.
Since October 2023, 520 humanitarian workers, mainly staff from the UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWAwere killed in Gaza – the deadliest place for humanitarian workers for the second consecutive year.
OCHA has demanded that Member States protect civilians and humanitarian workers and hold responsible authors.
Despite the dangers, “humanitarian workers will not withdraw,” said Fletcher.
Humanitarian workers in the Middle East
Through the Middle East, civilians, including humanitarian workers, “are killed, injured and attacked in shocking numbers,” said the United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinators in the Palestinian Territory (OPT), Syria, Yemen and Lebanon in a joint declaration This Tuesday.
Since August 2024, at least 446 humanitarian workers have been killed, injured, kidnapped or detained in these places. “The world fails humanitarian workers and the people they serve,” the statement said.
Renewing their appeal to respect for international humanitarian laws and human rights, the officials have called on the international community to “protect those who protect humanity”.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
