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UN Reports Deadly Surge in Aid Worker Deaths: Over Half Killed in Gaza Conflict
The UN reports a staggering rise in aid worker fatalities, with over half of the 280 killed in 2023 dying during the early months of the Gaza conflict. This year could be even deadlier.
ND
by News Desk
2024-08-19
UN Reports Deadly Surge in Aid Worker Deaths: Over Half Killed in Gaza Conflict

The United Nations has reported that over half of the 280 aid workers killed globally in 2023 lost their lives during the first three months of the Israel-Gaza conflict. This sharp rise in fatalities, primarily due to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza from October to December 2022, marks a 137 percent increase compared to the previous year, when 118 aid workers were killed.

 

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) highlighted that aid workers faced deadly conditions in 33 countries throughout 2023, making it the "deadliest year on record" for the humanitarian sector. As of August 7, 172 aid workers have been killed this year, with the potential for an even more devastating toll.

 

The surge in deaths underscores the dire situation in conflict zones such as Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, and Yemen. The UN’s acting emergency relief coordinator, Joyce Msuya, condemned the normalization of violence against aid workers and the ongoing lack of accountability. "The normalization of violence against aid workers and the impunity with which these heinous attacks are committed are unacceptable and enormously harmful for aid operations everywhere," Msuya said.

 

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that 207 of its staff members have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began last October. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has demanded an end to impunity, calling for justice for those responsible for these attacks.

 

Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, expressed the gravity of the situation on X, stating: "In Gaza, there have been way too many of them since the war started 10 months ago. At least 289 aid workers, including 207 UNRWA team members and 885 health workers, have lost their lives."

 

In observance of World Humanitarian Day, leaders of humanitarian organizations have sent a joint letter to UN General Assembly member states, urging for increased protection for aid workers and an end to attacks on civilians.

 
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