Mr. President, Members of the Council,
Last Saturday, in Iran, a fourth colleague of the Iranian Red Crescent Society was killed while carrying out his humanitarian work. Abolfazl Dahanavi was 20 years old and had been a Red Crescent volunteer since he was 16.
Last month, in Lebanon, Youssef Assaf, a colleague of the Lebanese Red Cross suffered fatal injuries sustained while carrying out a rescue mission in southern Lebanon.
In Gaza, 54 staff and volunteers of the Palestine Red Crescent Society and four ICRC colleagues have been killed since 7 October 2023 – many while carrying out clearly notified, coordinated humanitarian duties. In the aftermath of the horrendous attacks in Israel, at least six staff of Magen David Adom lost their lives.
As the Council was briefed by the PRCS President in April last year, in a single gruesome incident, eight PRCS medics were killed along with first responders from the Civil Defence and a staff member of the United Nations.
In Sudan, last month, a volunteer of the Sudanese Red Crescent was killed while on duty in the maternity ward of a hospital; and in each of the two previous years ICRC convoys came under attack, killing and gravely injuring four colleagues.
In the international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, three ICRC staff were killed when shelling struck the site of a planned distribution near the frontline.
And the list goes on and on. In 2025 alone, at least 31 staff and volunteers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement were killed while carrying out their vital humanitarian work.
Many were attacked while wearing the protective emblem, while in clearly marked vehicles, premises or other facilities. They were fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, colleagues – ordinary people taking extraordinary risks to perform life-saving work.
We share outrage at every attack, and grief at every loss in the humanitarian community. Each of these deaths is a loss for the communities these colleagues served. When humanitarian workers are killed, people lose access to assistance and support at the very moment they need it most.
Some of these deaths sparked public outrage. Others passed unnoticed. But every single one represents a failure of humanity.
Excellencies, I address you today with a simple but urgent message: We are losing our humanity in war.
Every attack on humanitarian personnel that passes without consequence allows this insidious pattern to continue. Each such attack signals to others that the lives of aid workers are expendable, and that the rules of war and the protections they are designed to provide are disposable.
Excellencies, this cannot continue. Parties to armed conflict cannot keep fighting wars without limits.
This is a legal, moral and humanitarian imperative: People who help others in war and humanitarian crises must not be killed. They must not be targeted.
Mr. President,
The alarming frequency of attacks is compounded by another trend: Deliberate harmful information campaigns designed to erode trust in humanitarian organizations and portray our colleagues as legitimate targets.
These online attacks do not remain only online. They spur real‑world violence and real‑world deaths.
Excellencies, I repeat, this cannot continue. Parties to armed conflict cannot keep fighting wars without limits.
International humanitarian law is unequivocal: States must respect and protect humanitarian personnel. States must also use their influence – political, diplomatic, financial – to ensure respect for these rules.
On 24 May 2024, this Council adopted Resolution 2730 to reverse this tragic trend. We also appreciate the important initiative by Australia to launch the Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel.
These steps are laudable demonstrations of your will – but will must be translated into action. Wars must have limits, and the safety and security of humanitarian personnel is one such fundamental limit that must be upheld to preserve our common humanity.
We owe an immense debt to our colleagues in conflict zones who continue to serve those in need despite the risks. Their courage is extraordinary - but courage does not deflect bullets. Dedication does not shield them from drones, shelling, and gunfire.
Mr. President,
The rules exist. The obligations are clear. The tools are available. Action is urgently needed.
Today, the ICRC calls on the Security Council, on all States, and all parties to conflict to take immediate, concrete steps to protect those who risk their lives to save lives.
This concretely means:
- Ensuring compliance with IHL by your own forces and by those with whom you partner or support.
- Investigating attacks and holding perpetrators accountable.
- Countering harmful narratives that endanger humanitarian personnel.
- Securing rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access.
- Supporting duty‑of‑care measures, especially for local staff who bear the greatest risks.
The lives of humanitarian workers – and the lives of the people they serve – depend on your action.
Excellencies, the rules of war are clear.
You have choices.
And today, you must choose to take action to protect our shared humanity.
Thank you, Mr. President.
