205 aid workers killed in Gaza since Oct. 7: UN agency

ISTANBUL

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced on Friday that 205 humanitarian aid workers have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since Oct. 7.

In a statement, the UN agency reported that the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza have resulted in “civilian casualties, displacement of people and the destruction of residential structures and public infrastructure.”

“As of 7 August, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since 7 October is 205,” said the agency.

The statement also highlighted that “up to 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced (some up to 10 times).”

The health system remains “barely functional with 90 hospitals and primary health care centers not functioning,” according to the agency.

The UNRWA noted that it remains a “major actor in the health sector, providing health services across 10 primary health centers and up to 100 mobile medical points across the Gaza Strip.”

Israel has continued a devastating military offensive in the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 39,700 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,700 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi.