The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has resulted in a devastating toll on aid workers, making it the deadliest period for humanitarian staff in over two decades. According to the Aid Worker Security Database, nearly 200 aid workers have lost their lives in Gaza in less than six months, surpassing the annual casualties seen in any other conflict since at least 1997.
Traditionally, countries like Afghanistan, Syria, and South Sudan have been known as the most dangerous for aid workers over the past 20 years. However, the current situation in Gaza has proven to be even more lethal, with a higher number of fatalities compared to the worst years of conflict in those regions.
The data compiled by the Aid Worker Security Database includes personnel from various organizations, including the United Nations and other nonprofit humanitarian agencies. The UN has reported over 170 of its staff members killed since October 7, marking the highest number of casualties among UN personnel in the organization's history. Additionally, fifteen workers and volunteers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society have also tragically lost their lives, as documented in a UN report released on March 29.
The scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is underscored by the fact that more aid workers have been killed in less than six months than in any other conflict annually in the past two decades. The toll of over 190 humanitarian staffers since October 7 in Gaza surpasses previous records, such as the 56 aid workers killed in Syria in 2018 and the 48 fatalities in Afghanistan in 2013.
