A year earlier, there were 118 humanitarian workers who died. It is estimated that in 2024 the death toll may be even higher. Monday is World Humanitarian Day.
The main reason for this drastic increase is the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, the report said. Almost 300 aid workers have been killed in the Gaza Strip alone since the unprecedented Hamas terrorist attack last October, primarily in airstrikes. Most of the victims are UNRWA staff. The UN has repeatedly expressed its concern over staff killed in Israeli shelling or bombing in the past.
Preliminary estimates from a UN-backed data bank indicate that the number of aid workers killed in 2024 could be even higher. By the beginning of August, 172 workers had been killed in conflicts around the world. In addition to the Gaza war, conflicts and violence in Sudan and South Sudan claimed many victims. In most cases, the dead are local aid workers.
On the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, senior representatives of hundreds of humanitarian organizations addressed the 193 countries of the UN General Assembly in a joint letter, in which they call on the international community to make every effort to stop attacks on civilians, protect the workers of aid organizations, and bring the perpetrators to justice.
2024-08-19 13:48:42