UN staff in New York observe moment of silence to mourn fallen colleagues in Gaza

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, alongside staff members, observed a minute of silence on Monday to honor colleagues who perished in Gaza due to Israeli assaults.

"Today, the @UN family observed a moment of silence to mourn & honour our colleagues killed in Gaza. Since the start of this conflict, more than 100 @UNRWA staff have lost their lives - the highest number of UN aid workers killed in a conflict in such a short time. They will never be forgotten," Guterres said on X following a ceremony.

During the ceremony, the UN flag at the headquarters in New York was flown at half-mast.

Speaking to the media, Palestine's UN envoy Riyad Mansour said Palestine will remember UN workers who lost their lives while they were working to save lives and help millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"What we want is immediate cease-fire. What we want is the end of this aggression immediately. As the Secretary-General said: 'Humanitarian cease-fire now.' We want that to be implemented immediately," said the envoy.

"We want the Security Council to elevate itself to that level, and to demand immediate cease-fire now, to save lives," Mansour added, stating Palestine does not want "to live a second Nakba."

According to the latest information from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), as many as 101 UN workers have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

Israel has been carrying out relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip -- including on hospitals, residences, and houses of worship -- since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a cross-border attack last month.

The attacks have killed over 11,000 Palestinians, including more than 8,000 women and children. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, stands at 1,200 after a downward revision.