2024 humanitarian staff's deadliest yr. on record amid war on Gaza: UN
4 Min Read
The UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) has reported that 2024 has become the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers, with 281 fatalities worldwide.
-
Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike on a school run by UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees, in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 14, 2024 (AP)
A report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers, with 281 fatalities worldwide. This tragic milestone has surpassed all previous records, considering the genocide in Gaza ongoing for over a year now.
"Humanitarian workers are being killed at an unprecedented rate, their courage and humanity being met with bullets and bombs," stated Tom Fletcher, the new UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
He further remarked, "This violence is unconscionable and devastating to aid operations."
'Israel' killed at least 333 humanitarian personnel in Gaza since October 7
The Israeli war on Gaza has driven the surge in casualties, with at least 333 humanitarian personnel killed since October 7, 2023. Most were staff members of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
According to the latest entry in the Aid Worker Security Database, 10 national staff were killed in Gaza this month alone.
“These numbers today will no doubt send shockwaves around our humanitarian community, especially on the front lines of the response,” OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters on Friday at a briefing in Geneva.
He noted that the vast majority of casualties were national staff working for UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the Red Crescent and Red Cross movement, with 268 national staff and 13 international staff killed.
Threats to aid workers globally
As wars continue to escalate worldwide, the dangers facing humanitarian workers have intensified beyond Gaza.
“They are working courageously and selflessly in places like Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon, Ukraine, and other conflicts,” Laerke said, noting that with 2024 not yet over, the death toll has already surpassed last year’s record of 280 deaths.
“Threats to aid workers extend beyond Gaza”, he noted, explaining that there are “high levels of violence, kidnappings, injuries, harassment, and arbitrary detention reported..."
The cost of international violence extends beyond statistics. “Being national humanitarian staff does not make them foreigners to us – it makes them colleagues and often friends,” Laerke emphasized.
“They show the best interest humanity has to offer. And they are getting killed, in record numbers, in return,” he stressed.
The violence against aid workers also reflects a broader pattern of civilian harm in war zones. Last year saw more than 33,000 civilian deaths in 14 armed wars– a 72 percent increase from 2022.
Despite these challenges and dangers, humanitarian organizations continue to deliver vital assistance, reaching nearly 144 million people in need last year.
In response to this crisis, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2730 (2024), which mandates the Secretary-General to recommend measures to prevent attacks on aid workers and enhance protection for humanitarian personnel.
These recommendations will be presented at a Security Council meeting on November 26.
“States and parties to conflict must protect humanitarians, uphold international law, prosecute those responsible, and call time on this era of impunity,” Fletcher concluded.
More health workers, patients killed in Lebanon than in Ukraine, Gaza
Since October 7, 2023, nearly half of the Israeli attacks on healthcare in Lebanon—47%—have led to the killings of medical professionals or patients, according to a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The alarming statistic surpassed fatality rates in any other active war worldwide, underscoring the devastating impact of the ongoing Israeli aggression on Lebanon and its healthcare system.
In comparison, the global average for fatalities in attacks on healthcare stands at 13.3%, as reported by the SSA, based on data from 13 countries and territories, including Ukraine, Sudan, and the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). In oPt, 9.6% of healthcare-related incidents led to deaths.
From October 7, 2023, to November 18, 2024, the World Health Organization report indicated that 226 health workers and patients were killed, with an additional 199 injured in Lebanon due to the ongoing Israeli aggression.
Over this period, a total of 137 attacks on healthcare facilities were recorded by the SSA, further highlighting the brutal targeting of medical staff and infrastructure.
