The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has told a news briefing at the UN headquarters in New York that 89 staff of the global body have so far been killed in the ongoing war in Gaza.
Guterres said the 89 victims were staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
He said most of them were killed with their family members.
According to him, those killed include teachers, school principals, doctors, engineers, guards, support staff and a young woman named Mai.
“Mai did not let her muscular dystrophy or wheelchair confine her dreams.
“She was a top student, became a software developer and devoted her skills to working on information technology for UNRWA,” Guterres stated.
Guterres also said Gaza was “becoming a graveyard for children.”
He said hundreds of girls and boys were being killed and injured every day.
“More journalists have reportedly been killed over a four-week period than in any conflict in at least three decades.
“More United Nations aid workers have been killed than in any comparable period in the history of our organisation.
“I joined the UN family in mourning 89 of our UNRWA colleagues who have been killed in Gaza, many of them together with members of their families.
He noted that “the nightmare in Gaza is more than a humanitarian crisis; it is a crisis of humanity.”
Guterres said Israel’s aerial bombardments and ground operations in Gaza “are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and UN facilities, including shelters.”
“No one is safe,” said the UN chief.
According to the UN, about 150 health workers have been killed in Gaza – 16 while on duty – and 18 emergency service workers for Gaza’s civil defence; while more than 100 health facilities have been damaged.
Meanwhile, the Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), a United Kingdom-based organization, said the “shocking milestone” was a result of Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment of civilian homes, hospitals, refugee camps, and schools.
“How many more deaths will it take for this assault to be brought to an end – 50,000, 100, 000?
“As we witness our homes, hospitals and schools turned to rubble, we are crying out for a shred of humanity from world leaders,” said Fikr Shalltoot, the group’s Gaza director.
There had been calls for a ceasefire. In October, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce. But Israel and the United States had rejected the calls.
In a joint statement, signatories including the UN human rights commissioner, Volker Turk; Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization and the UN aid chief, Martin Griffiths, yesterday said: “It’s been 30 days. Enough is enough.
“This must stop now. Civilians and the infrastructure they rely on – including hospitals, shelters and schools – must be protected. More aid – food, water, medicine and of course fuel – must enter Gaza safely, swiftly and at the scale needed, and must reach people in need, especially women and children, wherever they are.”. (vitalnewsngr.com)
