UNRWA said some people died while queuing to buy 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...", the statement said.
Fighting in Gaza has killed more than 100 UN staff. Photo: Reuters
“They represent what is happening to the people of Gaza,” said Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s communications director. “They happen to work for the United Nations. They and every other civilian in the Gaza Strip… should never have been killed.”
The global body said UN staff around the world would observe a minute of silence and fly flags at half-mast next Monday. Israel blamed Hamas for the civilian deaths in Gaza, saying the group used people as human shields and hid weapons and equipment around bombed hospitals.
Before Gaza, the deadliest conflict for UN aid workers was Nigeria in 2011 when a suicide bomber attacked the country's Abuja office during an Islamist uprising, killing 46 people.
According to the Aid Worker Security Database, a US-funded platform that compiles reports of major security incidents affecting aid workers, the ongoing conflict in South Sudan killed 33 UN staff and another 33 were killed in Afghanistan in 2009.
Aid workers enjoy protection under international humanitarian law, but experts cite few precedents for cases of violations being brought to trial on various issues.
Established in 1949 after the first Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA provides public services including schools, health care and aid. Many of UNRWA's 5,000 staff working in Gaza are Palestinian refugees.
Under UN rules, staff are entitled to appropriate compensation in the event of death, including some funeral expenses and an annual payment to families. But UNRWA, which is struggling financially, said it was not even sure it would be able to pay staff salaries until the end of the year.
Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, CNA)
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