Sharon Zhang
Truthout / July 30, 2024
This death toll represents the largest number of UN workers killed in a single conflict zone in the history of the UN.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the primary humanitarian aid provider for Palestinians in Gaza, reported a tragic milestone on Tuesday of Israel killing over 200 UNRWA employees in Gaza in the last 10 months.
According to the agency, Israel has killed 202 UNRWA workers in Gaza since it embarked on its genocidal assault in October, some of them killed while providing desperately-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinians amid the famine and epidemics caused by Israel’s relentless bombardment. Others were killed while at home with their families or seeking a safe place to shelter.
“We have reached a tragic and devastating milestone that I was hoping we would never cross. Since the war began in October 2023, we have lost 202 UNRWA colleagues, all killed in Gaza. May they rest in peace,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini in a statement.
This death toll represents the largest number of UN workers killed in a single conflict zone in the history of the UN, he said. Human rights groups have noted that Israel has made Gaza the most dangerous place in the world for humanitarian workers. Targeting humanitarian workers is considered a war crime under international law.
“They were teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, engineers, support staff, logisticians, and technology and communications workers. They were dedicated to serving their communities,” Lazzarini continued. “The Agency will never be the same without them. We mourn them, cherish them, and remember them. This tragic milestone is testament — once again — that no place and no one is safe in Gaza.”
This violence has affected these workers’ families as well. A leaked UN report obtained by Drop Site News found that Israeli forces killed at least 172 dependents of UNRWA staff between October and June.
UNRWA has faced constant military and political attacks by Israel since October, as part of Israeli politicians’ longtime mission of dismantling and delegitimizing the vital humanitarian group.
Just recently, the Israeli Knesset preliminarily passed a bill that would declare UNRWA a “terrorist organization,” without evidence, and therefore a supposedly legitimate target for military attacks. The Israeli military has consistently blamed humanitarian groups for the catastrophe Israel has created through its bombing and starvation campaign in Gaza.
This is a continuation of the attacks Israel levied against the agency in January, in which Israeli officials accused a group of 12 UNRWA workers, out of the agency’s 30,000 employees, of participating in the October 7 attack led by Hamas forces. These accusations prompted many countries, including UNRWA’s largest donor, the U.S., to suspend funding for the agency.
Since then, many reports — including the UN’s independent probe and those of foreign dignitaries — have found that there is zero evidence of Israel’s accusations. Every country that suspended funding has now restored funding to the agency — except for the U.S., which is still withholding funding after President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress that bans funding to the UNRWA.
Some advocates for Palestinian rights have called on Vice President Kamala Harris, who is likely to become Democrats’ 2024 presidential nominee, to come out in favor of restoring funding to UNRWA and securing a permanent ceasefire, in hopes of ending the genocide as soon as possible.
Sharon Zhang is a news writer at Truthout covering politics, climate and labor
