🌍 Today, on World Humanitarian Day, the United Nations unveiled shocking data: a record 383 aid workers were killed in 2024, marking a 31% rise from last year. This tragic toll reflects the human cost of relentless conflicts across the globe.
The deadliest hotspots were Gaza, with 181 humanitarian workers killed, and Sudan, where 60 lost their lives. Beyond these losses, 308 aid workers were wounded, 125 kidnapped, and 45 detained in the line of duty.
'Even one attack against a humanitarian colleague is an attack on all of us and on the people we serve,' said UN aid chief Tom Fletcher. 'Attacks on this scale, with zero accountability, are a shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy.' 💔
The UN also stressed that state actors were the most common perpetrators and emphasized that violence against aid workers violates international humanitarian law and weakens vital lifelines for millions trapped in war and disaster zones.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization verified more than 800 attacks on health care so far this year across 16 territories, resulting in over 1,110 health workers and patients killed and hundreds injured. Each assault deepens the crisis and endangers entire communities.
World Humanitarian Day honors the memory of UN rights chief Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other humanitarians killed in the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, reminding us why protecting aid workers is more important than ever. 🚑🤝
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
