The number of United Nations personnel killed in Gaza has risen to 280 since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on 7 October 2023.
On Wednesday, an airstrike targeted a UN guesthouse in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, killing a UN staff member and leaving four others seriously wounded. This attack is part of an intensified bombing campaign that has claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians within just 48 hours.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed profound shock and sorrow over the attack, calling for a full investigation—an appeal that has become all too familiar following each massacre, yet remains devoid of tangible consequences.
For his part, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated that the UN is “paying an unbearable price while carrying out its humanitarian mandate,” urging immediate protection for humanitarian workers.
The killing of UN personnel comes amid Israel’s continued genocidal assault on Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of 436 Palestinians in just two days, including 174 children and 89 women.
Targeting humanitarian workers constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of distinction, necessity, and proportionality—fundamental tenets of international law. The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols explicitly mandate the protection of humanitarian personnel and international organisations. Yet, Israeli forces continue to strike UN facilities with impunity, facing no meaningful accountability.
Now more than ever, the international community must act decisively to halt these massacres and enforce mechanisms of accountability. The targeting of humanitarian workers and UN installations in Gaza is not merely a breach of the law—it is a blatant affront to the entire system of international justice.
