UN Report Reveals Tragic Death of Palestinian Health Workers in Gaza
On Monday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed a harrowing incident that has drawn international attention. According to OCHA, 15 Palestinian health workers and rescuers, including a UN staff member, were killed by the Israeli army eight days ago and subsequently buried in a mass grave in the southern Gaza Strip near Rafah. This event, largely overlooked until now, was corroborated by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), highlighting that some of the health workers were targeted while operating within ambulances. The IFRC lamented that this incident represents the most severe attack against its members globally since 2017.
Since the onset of the current invasion in Gaza, Israel has been accused of systematically targeting health and humanitarian workers, a violation of numerous international laws. OCHA's recent estimates indicate that since October 2023, around 400 healthcare providers, educators, and humanitarian personnel have lost their lives in the region, among them at least 76 affiliated with non-governmental organizations.
An account by Jonathan Whittall, head of OCHA in Gaza, detailed that those killed last Sunday were traveling in four ambulances and a fire truck, responding to a bombed area. Despite the vehicles being clearly marked as emergency responders, they came under Israeli fire. A UN vehicle arriving shortly after also faced similar assaults. From the 15 individuals killed, eight were associated with the Palestinian Red Crescent, six with Gaza's Civil Defense, and one worked for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
After days of searching, OCHA was finally able to retrieve the bodies, discovering their vehicles destroyed and partially covered in debris. The Israeli army, for its part, claimed that it targeted a series of vehicles that lacked headlights or emergency signals, asserting that among those killed were a Hamas member and other alleged terrorists. However, this claim is difficult to verify given the Israeli military's history of obscuring crucial details when faced with similar accusations.
The IFRC has identified eight of the deceased as drivers and first aid workers, bringing a human face to the tragedy with names like Mostafa Khufaga, Saleh Muamer, and Mohammad Bahloul among them. Health director of the Palestinian Red Crescent, Bashar Murad, has reported that the bodies revealed signs of gunfire, with one found having its hands bound, though independent verification of this information has not been possible.
OCHA spokesperson Olga Cherevko expressed hope for a thorough investigation to clarify the events surrounding this tragic occurrence, shedding light on the increasing violence faced by humanitarian workers in conflict zones.
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