UN Geneva office honors dozens of UNRWA staffers killed in Gaza

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) – The UN office in Geneva on Tuesday honored dozens of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) staffers killed in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 as a result of Israeli forces' indiscriminate and intensified attacks.

The UN officials and staff observed a moment of silence to remember those who died during Israeli attacks on Gaza.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke shared a video of the commemoration on social media platform X, writing: "A solemn and profoundly sad moment at UN Geneva today, honouring our UNRWA colleagues killed in Gaza."

"89 have perished so far. It is outrageous," Laerke added.

UNRWA is the primary UN agency operating in the Gaza Strip, where its schools currently host about 700,000 displaced Palestinians seeking refuge from unrelenting Israeli attacks. The aid agency has lost dozens of its staff workers since the attacks began.

The Gaza Strip has been under heavy bombardment since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise offensive against Israel on Oct. 7.

At least 10,328 Palestinians, including 4,237 children and 2,719 women, have been killed since then. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,600, according to official figures.