World Humanitarian Day highlights tragic record sacrifice of aid workers in war zones

(OSV News) -- As the world commemorates World Humanitarian Day 2024, the latest figures on the dire circumstances aid workers face on the frontline highlight the alarming increase in attacks against them and their work to relieve the suffering of civilians caught in the crossfire.

The aid research advocacy group, Humanitarian Outcomes, published its 2024 Aid Worker Security Report Aug. 15, which stated that "2023 was the deadliest year for aid workers ever recorded, with fatalities more than double the annual average." Humanitarian Outcomes is supported by USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.

According to the report, which was compiled by the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD), 595 aid workers were victims of major attacks in 2023, including 280 who were killed in 33 countries.

More than half of these deaths (163) were aid workers killed in the first three months of the conflict in Gaza, mostly as a result of airstrikes, the group stated. Citing data from the Humanitarian Access SCORE Report, the UN said the number of aid workers killed in Gaza was "an unprecedented number for a single context in such a short period."

Among the most notable examples of the dangers aid workers face in Gaza was the death of seven aid workers of World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization that delivers food in war-torn countries, who were killed in an Israeli missile strike in the Gaza Strip April 1.

The World Central Kitchen, or WCK, founded by celebrity Catholic chef José Andrés, said April 2 that the workers were leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse after delivering 100 tons of humanitarian food in "two armored cars branded with the WCK logo" when the attack happened.

The organization noted that despite coordinating the delivery with the Israeli military, the convoy was struck in an apparent "targeted attack by the IDF," or Israeli Defense Forces. The attack forced WCK to suspend operations in the region.

The Aid Worker Security Report stated that the majority of fatalities in Gaza were due to "collateral violence from aerial bombardment and rockets/shelling (largely people killed while sheltering at home or in public locations), reflecting the generally very high civilian death toll of a major military campaign in a dense urban environment."

According to the report, more than 30,000 civilians have died in Gaza. Although exact percentages are unknown, it stated that "a very significant number" of aid workers were killed "while engaged in relief work, in attacks on ambulances, aid convoys, medical and shelter facilities, and distribution sites."

"Even if only 25% died 'on the job,' this is still far more than most conflict-affected countries recorded by the AWSD," the report said. "The casualties continued to mount in Gaza through 2024, with another 120 reported aid workers killed by early August."

In an editorial posted on the Caritas Internationalis website, Jean-Yves Terlinden, director of the International Cooperation and Humanitarian Unit of Caritas Europa, blamed the "continued complicity of the EU (European Union) and US in violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), double standards, and the increasing politicization of humanitarian support" for the growing death count in Gaza.

Among the dead, Terlinden said, were two Caritas workers: Viola, a 26-year-old lab technician who was killed along with her husband and infant daughter when Israeli forces attacked St. Porphyrios Orthodox Church in Gaza in October where civilians were sheltering; and Issam Abedrabbo, 35, a pharmacist who was killed with his two sons, leaving a daughter orphaned.

Terlinden wrote that the deaths were "far from accidental" as the Israeli military was informed of their coordinates to ensure their protection. He also noted that the E.U. continues to be Israel's largest trading partner despite "a human rights clause in its Association Agreement."

"After such a shocking loss of life, we urge the EU and its member states to address the double standards that put humanitarian workers at increased risk," Terlinden wrote.

Humanitarian Outcomes also stated in its report that ongoing conflict in Sudan resulted in the deaths of 24 aid workers, and violence spreading to neighboring South Sudan resulted in the deaths of 34 aid workers.

"Other countries notable for high numbers of aid workers affected by major attacks in 2023 were Mali, Ukraine, Somalia, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, and Myanmar," it said.

Established by the United Nations in 2008, World Humanitarian Day recognizes the work of humanitarian personnel and those who died in service. The date of the world day commemorates the 2003 of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, that killed 22 humanitarian workers.

In a statement posted in the world day's website, the U.N. echoed the Aid Worker Security Report, noting that "2023 was the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers" and that "2024 could be even worse."

"These facts lay bare a glaring truth: the world is failing humanitarian workers and, by extension, the people they serve," it said. "And while civilians, including aid workers, pay the ultimate price, the perpetrators continue to evade justice."

Among the many Catholic humanitarian organizations working in warzones and crisis areas are the Salesian Missions, which provides humanitarian relief in more than 130 countries.

"Because Salesian missionaries live in the communities they serve, they are often on the front lines of humanitarian disasters," said Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions, in a statement released by the organization Aug. 19 to commemorate World Humanitarian Day.

In its statement, the Salesian Missions highlighted its work helping people displaced by war and poverty, including in Nigeria, Congo, Haiti, and Namibia, providing meals, educational courses, and coordinating donations.

"Whether providing clothing and shelter in the immediate aftermath or assisting the long recovery process to help families rebuild their homes and salvage their livelihoods, Salesians are perfectly positioned to help," Father Conway said.