A total of 350 humanitarian aid workers were killed in crisis zones last year, marking the second-highest annual toll since records began in 1997, according to the UK-based Aid Worker Security Database.
More than half the fatalities — 186 workers — occurred in the Gaza Strip, while 71 deaths were recorded in Sudan. The vast majority of those killed, more than 99 percent, were locally hired staff rather than international personnel. The database also recorded 322 aid workers wounded and 235 kidnapped last year, bringing total incidents to 907, up from 833 in 2024.
In the first seven months of 2026, at least 83 humanitarian workers have been killed. Boris Breyer, a spokesman for SOS Children's Villages, called the situation "an unacceptable state of affairs that must end".