'Normally 2 aid workers are killed a year, in the last 4 weeks we lost 60' Sir Mark Lowcock

Israel-Hamas war is deadliest ever for UN aid workers, with at least 88 killed

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/nov/06/israel-hamas-war-deadliest-for-un-aid-workers-agency-leaders-ceasefire-call

Call for ceasefire by agency leaders of UN, which said airstrikes on Gaza had caused the most deaths of its aid workers in one conflict

Mon 6 Nov 2023 16.04 GMT

The deaths of scores of aid workers in airstrikes on Gaza over the past month has made the conflict the deadliest ever for UN workers.

At least 88 people who worked for the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, have been killed since 7 October. Forty-seven of its buildings have been damaged.

Separately, at least 150 health workers have been killed in Gaza – 16 while on duty – and 18 emergency-service workers for Gaza’s civil defence, according to the UN. More than 100 health facilities have been damaged.

UN agency leaders called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access to the territory. They called for both Israel and Hamas to respect international law.

In a joint statement, signatories including the UN human rights commissioner, Volker Turk; Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization; and the UN aid chief, Martin Griffiths, said: “It’s been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop now.

“Civilians and the infrastructure they rely on – including hospitals, shelters and schools – must be protected. More aid – food, water, medicine and of course fuel – must enter Gaza safely, swiftly and at the scale needed, and must reach people in need, especially women and children, wherever they are,” they said.

UNRWA held a memorial service last week in the Jordanian capital, Amman, for colleagues killed in the conflict. The agency’s chief, Philippe Lazzarini, described those who had died as “extraordinary people who dedicated their lives to their communities”.

He said: “Thousands of our colleagues, despite the fact that they share the same loss, fear and daily struggle of millions of Gazans, put on their UN vest and go to work. They are our true heroes. They are the face of humanity during its darkest hours. I am deeply grateful to them and to you all.

Sir Mark Lowcock
Distinguished Non-Resident Fellow, Center for Global Development

Sir Mark Lowcock was the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator from 2017 to 2021. He is now a Distinguished Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Global Development.

His essay 'Mobilise Public and Private Finance Before Disasters Strike' draws on material from his forthcoming book on humanitarian issues, to be published by the Center for Global Development in early 2022.