UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced that the organization lost 136 of its staff in the line of duty last year, including 80 in the Gaza Strip, in what he described as "the highest in the history of the United Nations for any conflict or disaster.
This came in a speech he delivered on Monday, during a ceremony commemorating the United Nations employees who lost their lives while serving in 2025, where he explained that among the victims were 97 civil servants and 39 peacekeepers, who hold the nationalities of 32 countries.
He noted that 80 of the dead were working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip.
Some staff members were killed along with their family members in their homes or places of refuge, while others were killed while on duty in offices, shelters and the communities they served, the UN official said.
Guterres stressed that the targeting of United Nations personnel, peacekeepers and humanitarian workers constitutes a violation of international law.
UN 'concerned' over displacement of southern Lebanon population
The United Nations has expressed concern over the escalation of tension in Lebanon following Israeli raids on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday evening.
UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq's spokesman said the Israeli army had issued orders to displace 17 towns in southern Lebanon, calling on the parties to "exercise maximum restraint and avoid any actions that fuel the already tense situation."
He stressed the need not to target civilians and civilian infrastructure, adding: "We are concerned about the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict on civilians."
The new eviction order issued by the Israeli army for 17 areas in southern Lebanon includes forced displacement and questions its feasibility under international humanitarian law.
He pointed out that the United Nations peacekeeping forces "UNIFIL" in Lebanon monitored 201 Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace, including helicopters and fighter jets, recording a total of about 288 flight hours over the weekend.
He explained that UNIFIL continues to be affected by conflicts in the region, and that the Israeli army continues to obstruct the movements of its personnel from time to time.
UNIFIL: 339 killed since its founding in 1978
The total number of deaths of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) since its establishment in 1978 has reached about 339, according to official statistics.
The data indicate that the causes of death were distributed among hostilities, which accounted for about 28% of the total, and operational and traffic accidents, which accounted for the largest percentage by about 40%, in addition to natural deaths and illnesses during service.
The 1980s recorded the highest annual casualty rate as a result of the escalation of the civil war and the Israeli invasion, while 2007 saw a remarkable peak in the number of fatalities following the expansion of the mission's missions after the July 2006 war.
Ireland, France, Ghana and Italy top the list of countries with the most troop losses in UNIFIL, which is attributed to the length of their participation and the size of their battalions, Ireland alone lost 47 soldiers, while France suffered significant losses during bloody stops in the 1980s and periods of escalation on the ground.
Ghana has recorded dozens of deaths as one of the oldest contributors, while Italy has lost a number of its personnel as a result of direct incidents and attacks.
Although Indonesia's historical losses have been relatively small, it recently recorded in 2026 the death of 3 of its soldiers as a result of the recent military escalation in southern Lebanon, reflecting the continuing risks that the mission faces today.