The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has declared that 142 of its employees have lost their lives in the ongoing Israeli actions in Gaza since October 7. This marks the highest toll of casualties among UN staff in the history of the international organisation.
In a statement, it highlighted that the Israeli bombardment has directly affected 130 of its facilities and schools across all areas of the Gaza Strip. The agency warned that the situation in Gaza is more perilous than the Nakba of 1948, as the Israeli occupation has rendered Gaza uninhabitable.
UNRWA emphasised the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, stating that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are at risk of starvation. It called for intensified efforts to allow the flow of humanitarian aid into the region.
The agency revealed that 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced in the last three months, with 1.4 million people seeking shelter in UNRWA facilities and hundreds of thousands sleeping in the vicinity of these facilities.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported on Sunday that the death toll from the Israeli aggression has reached 22,835 people, with an additional 58,416 wounded. The ongoing conflict has led to a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with widespread displacement and a critical need for international aid.