UN half-mast flags for over 100 staffers killed in Gaza
The United Nations (UN) lowered its flags at half-mast in all of its compounds across Asia on Monday in honor of its more than 100 colleagues who have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7. The UN staff also observed a minute of silence in their remembrance as Israel continued to bomb the Palestinian enclave.
Why does this story matter?
Israel has so far killed 11,180 people in Gaza, including 4,609 children and 3,100 women. It revised the death toll of Israelis in Hamas's October 7 attack from 1,400 to 1,200. Apart from health workers from other organizations, The Guardian reported last week that the ongoing war in Gaza has been the deadliest so far for UN aid workers.
Over 150 health workers killed so far
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said earlier that nearly 50 of its buildings in Gaza have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes. Meanwhile, the UN reported that over 100 health facilities have been damaged and over 150 health workers have been killed, of whom 16 were on duty and 18 were emergency workers for Gaza's civil defense.
One-third of UNRWA workers killed in central, southern Gaza
UN agencies call for ceasefire
The deceased UNRWA workers include doctors, nurses, teachers, and support staff. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Saturday said that several people were killed and wounded in airstrikes on one of its facilities in Gaza, where hundreds of Palestinians have taken refuge. It called for a ceasefire, calling the civilian deaths and injuries unacceptable while highlighting the intense risk of infections spreading.
All hospitals out of service: Hamas
The Palestinian health ministry said on Monday that none of the hospitals in northern Gaza are operational anymore. Around 36 newborn babies in incubators at al-Shifa Hospital are at risk of dying as Israeli forces are blockading hospitals. Israel earlier divided Gaza into two parts, taking control of the northern half, which has access to oil and gas reserves.
