Aid worker deaths soared after Israel launched latest war on Gaza: UN
Al Jazeera
UN office warns that a record number of aid workers were killed in 2023 and fears further grim milestones could be set.
More than half of the 280 aid workers killed worldwide in 2023 died during the first three months of Israel’s war on Gaza, according to the United Nations.
The rise in deaths, mainly due to Israeli air attacks in Gaza between October and December last year, represents a 137 percent increase compared with 2022, when 118 aid workers were killed.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday that aid workers were killed in 33 countries in 2023, the “deadliest year on record for the global humanitarian community”.
But this year “may be on track for an even deadlier outcome”, OCHA warned, with 172 aid workers killed so far this year as of August 7.
Marking World Humanitarian Day, leaders of humanitarian organisations are sending a joint letter to UN General Assembly member states, calling for an end to attacks on civilians, enhanced protection for aid workers, and accountability for those responsible.
