GENEVA — The United Nations announced on Friday that 2024 has tragically become the deadliest year ever recorded for humanitarian workers, with more aid personnel, healthcare providers, delivery operatives, and other individuals committed to humanitarian aid losing their lives than in any previous year.
The significant escalation in violence occurring in the Middle East has turned out to be the leading cause of the grim total of 281 humanitarian deaths worldwide this year, as reported by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Jens Laerke, a representative for OCHA, emphasized during a media briefing in Geneva that 2024 has already surpassed the prior high of 280 humanitarian fatalities logged for the entirety of last year. He remarked on the dire situation, stating, “Before the year is even over, we find ourselves in a heartbreaking reality.”
Laerke pointed out that humanitarian workers continue to display exceptional bravery and dedication while operating in dangerous areas including Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon, and Ukraine, yet unfortunately, they are facing unprecedented risks to their safety. “These individuals exemplify the finest aspects of humanity, yet they are paying the ultimate price — in alarmingly high numbers,” he added.
These distressing statistics are drawn from the Aid Worker Security Database, a project funded by the U.S. and managed by a U.K.-based organization named Humanitarian Outcomes. Out of the total fatalities, the database indicated that 268 were local staff members, while 13 were international personnel.
The majority of the casualties, approximately 230 aid workers, have been reported from the occupied Palestinian territories, but the data does not specify whether these incidents occurred in Gaza or the West Bank. Laerke raised concerns regarding the security threats that humanitarian workers are facing, which extend beyond Gaza; there have been rising incidents of violence, abductions, injuries, harassment, and arbitrary arrests reported in various countries, including Afghanistan, the Congo, South Sudan, and Yemen.
Since hostilities renewed between Israel and the militant group Hamas after their incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, over 333 humanitarian workers have lost their lives. This conflict has resulted in significant civilian casualties, with the death toll in the Gaza Strip alone exceeding 44,000, according to local health officials. The Gaza Health Ministry has not differentiated between combatants and civilians in their reports but claims that women and children account for more than half of the casualties. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has reported over 17,000 militant deaths while not providing supporting evidence for these figures.