Rabat – UN offices worldwide have lowered their flags to half-mast, grieving the devastating loss of over 100 UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) workers who were killed in the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The flags were lowered in commemorative ceremonies, including a minute of silence which was observed on Monday morning in UN offices across the globe.
The unparalleled death toll has become the highest in the history of the United Nations during a single conflict.
The casualties included humanitarian workers, as well as doctors, teachers, engineers, and sanitation workers who were working for UN operations in the besieged strip.
In a statement on Saturday, the UN Development Program (UNDP) said it is “deeply distressed by preliminary reports of the shelling of the United Nations compound in Gaza City, which UNDP’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People managed until 13 October when UN staff vacated the premises.”
Since the start of the Israeli attacks on Gaza, Over 11,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, with 70% of casualties being children and women.
At a meeting of the UN Security Council last Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the grim reality, stating that “on average, a child is killed every 10 minutes in Gaza.”
Amid the violence, many have criticized the inaction of the international community, which has failed to establish a ceasefire despite consistent calls from several countries and global organizations.
Key Israel allies such as the US and the UK have continued to categorically reject the possibility of a ceasefire, claiming that it would allow Hamas to regroup and attack Israel again.
