Aid workers should 'never be target,' WFP chief says after attack on UN workers in Gaza

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) – The head of the World Food Program (WFP) on Tuesday said that he is “devastated” by Monday’s attack on UN team members in Gaza.

"Devastated to learn of the death and injury of UN team members in Gaza yesterday. WFP stands united with the global humanitarian community in mourning our 190+ colleagues killed in Gaza," WFP chief Cindy McCain said on X.

"Aid workers are not – and should never be – a target," McCain said.

A UN staff member employed by the UN Department of Safety and Security was killed and another injured after their vehicle came under fire while traveling to the European Hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Earlier, the Israeli army claimed that the UN vehicle that was struck was in an "active combat zone," and the army "was not aware of the movement" of the vehicle.

However, such claims were rejected by the UN.

"The UN informs Israeli authorities of the movement of all of our convoys ..., this is a standard operating procedure," Rolando Gomez, the chief of press and external relations of the UN Geneva Office, said on Tuesday.

"This was the case yesterday morning," he added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned all attacks on UN personnel and called for a full investigation into the incident.

Since Oct. 7, when Israel launched a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, over 190 UN staff have been killed.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip following Palestinian resistance group Hamas' cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people.

More than 35,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have since been killed, and over 79,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

More than seven months into the conflict, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Tel Aviv is committing genocide in Gaza, ordering it to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.