UNRWA Reports 176 Employees Killed Since Onset of War on Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English

3 Apr 2024 

UNRWA reported that many of its employees were killed while performing their duty, stressing that humanitarian workers are not legitimate targets and must be protected at all times.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Wednesday that 176 of its employees have been tragically killed since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

In an official statement on its website, the agency explained that the war on Gaza “recorded the largest number of aid workers killed in any conflict.”

The agency emphasized that many of those killed had been targeted while performing their duty, stressing that humanitarian workers are not legitimate targets and must be protected at all times.

The agency noted in its statement that “Israel is still preventing our employees from reaching northern Gaza, to provide food aid and basic supplies,” noting that “more than half of the supplies delivered through the Rafah and 'Kerem Shalom' border crossings last month belonged to UNRWA.”

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini on Sunday published a tweet expressing outrage over "Israel's" recent decision to block the entry of food convoys to northern Gaza.

"This is outrageous and makes it intentional to obstruct lifesaving assistance during a man-made famine. These restrictions must be lifted," Lazzarini said on social media platform X.

Starvation is one of the many strategies used by the Israeli regime to lead its genocidal campaign on the Gaza Strip. Recent reports have shown that several people have died so far due to starvation. 

This is compounded by several massacres that have taken place at the Kuwaiti roundabout as people gathered to collect food supplies from aid trucks.

Due to several pictures circulating across social media showing bags of flour drenched in blood, these massacres acquired the label of "flour massacres."

On March 6, South Africa returned to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to request further provisional measures against "Israel", aimed at addressing the widespread starvation among Palestinians in the blockaded Gaza Strip. 

Pretoria stated that it was "compelled to return to the Court in light of the new facts and changes in the situation in Gaza — particularly the situation of widespread starvation."

The request at the ICJ is still pending.