File Photo: United Nations workers are brought to the Nasser Hospital after being injured in Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza. The UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, has reported the death of at least two additional staff members in Gaza. Anadolu News Agency
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the media office said, “This escalation is part of a deliberate plan by the Israeli occupation to create an administrative and governmental vacuum and to spread chaos and insecurity in the Gaza Strip, aiming to undermine the resilience and stability of our people.”
“The shocking rise in the number of aid security personnel martyred, now totalling 736, highlights the extent of the crimes perpetrated by the occupation, targeting those who strive to provide assistance and relief to our afflicted people.”
According to the United Nations, more aid workers have been killed in 2024 than in any other year on record, with two-thirds dying in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Since 7 October 2023, the Israeli brutal war on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 45,581 people, most of them women and children, and injured more than 108,189, according to the Palestinian health ministry's latest figures.
The head of the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, issued a fresh call on Tuesday for investigations into the “systematic disregard” for humanitarian workers and humanitarian premises in Gaza.
Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini appealed in a statement posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
He noted that 15 months after the war began in Gaza, “horrors continue unabated under the world’s watch.”
Citing the latest information from his teams, Mr Lazzarini said that 258 UNRWA staff have been killed during this time.
Nearly 650 incidents against UNRWA buildings and facilities were recorded, where at least 745 people were killed in its shelters while seeking UN protection and more than 2,200 others were injured.
Meanwhile, over two-thirds of UNRWA buildings are damaged or destroyed, most of which were used as schools before the war.
Mr Lazzarini added that at least 20 UNRWA staff currently are in Israeli detention centres, and “those previously released have described systematic mistreatment, humiliation, and torture.”
He also highlighted the situation in northern Gaza, noting that “there has been a significant increase in attacks on our staff, buildings, and operations” since Israel stepped up its military operations there nearly three months ago.
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