UNRWA said that some people died while queuing for bread, while others died with their families in their homes. "It is devastating. More than 100 UNRWA colleagues have been confirmed dead in one month, including teachers, nurses, doctors, support staff, etc.," the statement said.
The fighting in Gaza has killed more than 100 United Nations staff members. Photo: Reuters
Juliette Touma, Director of Communications for UNRWA, said: “They represent what is happening to the people of Gaza. They happen to work for the United Nations. They and every other civilian in the Gaza Strip… should never have been killed.”
The global organization said UN staff around the world will observe a minute of silence and fly flags at half-mast next Monday. Israel blames Hamas for the deaths of civilians in Gaza, saying the group used civilians as human shields and hid weapons and equipment around bombed hospitals.
Prior to Gaza, the most dangerous conflict for UN aid workers was in Nigeria in 2011 when a suicide bomber attacked the country's Abuja office during a Muslim insurgency, killing 46 people.
According to the Aid Workers Security Database, a U.S.-funded platform that compiles reports of major security incidents affecting aid workers, the ongoing conflict in South Sudan killed 33 UN staff members, and another 33 died in Afghanistan in 2009.
Aid workers are entitled to protection under international humanitarian law, but experts point to very few precedents of violations being brought to trial for various reasons.
Established in 1949 after the first Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA provides public services including schools, healthcare, and aid. Many of UNRWA's 5,000 employees working in Gaza are Palestinian refugees.
According to UN regulations, staff are entitled to adequate compensation in the event of death, including some funeral expenses and an annual payment to the family. But UNRWA, which is facing financial difficulties, says it's not even sure if it can pay its staff salaries until the end of this year.
Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, CNA)
Source
Comment (0)