Record aid worker deaths in 2024 mark ‘era of impunity’, UN says
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Mourners gather to hold a vigil for Polish aid worker Damian Sobol, who was killed by the Israeli army in Gaza in April.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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GENEVA – More aid workers have been killed in 2024 than in any year since tallies began, the UN humanitarian office said on Nov 22, with most of them killed in the Gaza conflict.
So far in 2024, there have been 281 aid workers killed, according to the Aid Worker Security database, which has recorded incidents dating back to 1997, versus 280 in 2023, which held the previous record.
It showed 178 had been killed in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Gaza, which has been the deadliest conflict for the United Nations.
“These people are doing God’s work, and they’re being killed in response?” said Mr Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN Humanitarian Office, at a Geneva news briefing.
Most of the victims were local staff, while 13 of them were international aid workers, he added.
Aid workers enjoy protection under international humanitarian law, but experts cite few precedents for such cases going to trial, with concerns about ensuring future access for aid groups and difficulty proving intent cited as impediments.
“This violence is unconscionable and devastating to aid operations,” said UN aid chief Tom Fletcher in a statement.
“States and parties to conflict must protect humanitarians, uphold international law, prosecute those responsible, and call time on this era of impunity,” he said. REUTERS
