Ministerial group formed to protect humanitarian workers amid Gaza conflict

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - A coalition of countries has established a ministerial group aimed at protecting humanitarian workers.

The announcement follows a commitment from Australia, Jordan, Switzerland, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, the UK, Japan, Brazil, and Colombia to form the ministerial group dedicated to “upholding and championing international humanitarian law” while enhancing protections for humanitarian personnel in conflict zones.

According to UN figures, more than 280 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since October, with most being staff of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

“It’s an injustice that civilians, such as aid workers, enjoy protected status under international humanitarian law, yet are being killed with no repercussions for states committing these war crimes,” stated the Australian Centre for International Justice (ACIJ).

ACIJ has urged concrete measures to hold accountable those responsible for these crimes, issuing a call on Tuesday for “concrete steps” to tackle the "impunity" that states such as Israel enjoy during the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that the ministerial group would pursue a “Declaration on the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel” to support the UN Secretary-General’s efforts to enhance the safety and security of aid workers.

However, the ACIJ has called on the Australian government to take “real action” against the targeting of aid workers, which includes canceling all defense contracts with Israeli arms companies.

The organization highlighted that licenses have been issued to Elbit Systems, the manufacturer of the Hermes 450 drone, which was involved in strikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza.

“A decision to impose a two-way arms embargo on Israel is the bare minimum response that should be taken by the Australian government to ensure it is not complicit in atrocity crimes in Gaza,” the ACIJ emphasized in its statement to Wong.