Last year, 280 aid workers were killed in 33 countries, an increase of 137 percent compared to 2022 and the highest figure ever, according to new data from the UN's humanitarian organization Ocha.
According to the statistics, over half of the deaths were registered during the first three months of the Gaza war, from October to December. Ocha warns that 2024 may become even deadlier, with 172 aid workers killed so far this year, up to and including August 7, according to preliminary figures.
Joyce Msuya, Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, is now demanding that measures be taken to reverse the trend.
"The normalization of violence against aid workers and the lack of accountability is unacceptable, conscienceless, and enormously harmful to aid efforts around the world," Msuya is quoted as saying in a press release.
