UNRWA laments 'highest death toll in UN history' with 193 staff killed
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In yet another horrific revelation, UNRWA reports that 193 of its employees have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
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A Palestinian man gestures near a pool of blood at a UNRWA warehouse and distribution center in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, following an Israeli strike on March 13, 2024. (AFP)
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stated on Monday that Gaza, amid the ongoing aggression, poses the greatest risk to humanitarian workers, with 193 UNRWA personnel killed since the Israeli genocide began on October 7, in what it dubbed "the highest death toll in UN history."
“Gaza is the most dangerous place in the world for aid workers. Since the war began, 193 UNRWA colleagues have been killed — the highest death toll in UN history,” UNRWA said in a post on X.
“Despite this, our colleagues keep working to support families and provide aid amid the dire humanitarian crisis,” it stressed.
#Gaza is the most dangerous places in the world for aid workers. Since the war began, 193 @UNRWA colleagues have been killed - the highest death toll in @UN history.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) June 17, 2024
Despite this, our colleagues keep working to support families & provide aid amid the dire humanitarian crisis. pic.twitter.com/TNcpGToi1V
'Israel' goes after UNRWA in al-Quds, orders it to vacate headquarters
Last month, the "Israel Land Authority" notified UNRWA that it must leave its al-Quds location in the Ma’alot Dafna neighborhood within 30 days, as per the Israeli Ynet news site. This follows Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf's approval of a directive to expel the UN agency for allegedly using "state land" without authorization.
Goldknopf announced that the decision, initially proposed in February, had been approved by his ministry’s legal advisor.
In a letter sent to UNRWA, the ILA stated that the agency owes NIS 27,125,280 ($7,326,711.19) for allegedly using land owned by "Israel" without authorization for the past seven years.
Additionally, the letter instructed the agency that it was “required to immediately stop any illegal use, destroy everything you have built in violation of the law, vacate the land of any people or items and return it to the [ILA] within 30 days from the date of this letter,” as per Israeli media.
At the time, the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees reported that it was temporarily shutting down its headquarters in the eastern part of occupied al-Quds after Israeli extremists set fire to the perimeter following weeks of repeated attacks.
Agency Chief Philippe Lazzarini said on X, "This evening, Israeli residents set fire twice to the perimeter of the UNRWA headquarters in occupied east Jerusalem."
He further lamented that it was the second attack on the compound in a matter of days.
The attack came after two months of "Israeli extremists staging protests outside the UNRWA compound," he said, adding that one protest earlier this week "became violent when demonstrators threw stones at UN staff and at the buildings of the compound."
A flashback
UNRWA, which coordinates nearly all aid to besieged Gaza, has been in crisis since January, when "Israel" accused about a dozen of its 13,000 Gaza employees of being involved in the October 7 events.
Despite the unverified Israeli allegations, this led many donor nations, including its top donor the United States, to suspend funding to the agency, threatening its efforts to deliver desperately needed aid in Gaza. However, many reinstated funding, in defiance of the US, as no evidence regarding the claims was submitted.
Read next: A little too late: Damage done by 'Israel's' baseless UNRWA claims
