Israel leads in killing the most number of aid workers globally

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is unprecedented, with over 75 percent of all aid workers killed globally in the past 11 months falling victim to one brute state – Israel, which has been indiscriminately attacking Gaza’s civilian areas, targeting any moving object, including aid and rescue workers.

This alarming figure comes from the Aid Worker Security Database, which has documented more than 378 humanitarian worker deaths since October 7, 2023.

Of these, more than 294 deaths occurred in Gaza alone, a region comprising less than one percent of the world’s population affected by humanitarian crises, yet accounting for the overwhelming majority of aid worker fatalities.

Most of these workers, from renowned organisations like Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and World Central Kitchen, had followed strict security protocols.

These measures included providing GPS coordinates to Israeli authorities to avoid conflict zones and despite this, Israel has repeatedly targeted aid convoys, shelters, and facilities, indicating deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers.

Disturbing pattern

Human Rights Watch has documented at least eight incidents since October 2023 in which Israeli military forces attacked aid convoys and facilities, after their locations were communicated.

One such incident occurred on November 18, 2023, when an airstrike hit an MSF convoy, killing seven aid workers – one of many attacks exposing how Israeli forces are intentionally targeting humanitarian operations.

In a similar strike on April 1, 2024, Israeli forces attacked a World Central Kitchen convoy, killing seven aid workers.

Following the attack, World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés rejected Israel's position that the airstrike was a "regrettable incident,” and accused Israel of deliberately targeting the organisation’s workers, stating that the airstrike hit "systematically, car by car."

Israeli airstrikes have also had devastating effects on civilian shelters.

On September 11, 2024, an Israeli airstrike on a school used as a shelter in Nuseirat, central Gaza, killed 18 people, including six UNRWA workers and several children.

Unparalleled toll

The death toll of aid workers in Gaza is unmatched in recent history.

In the last three months of 2023 alone, more aid workers were killed in Palestinian territories than in any other region worldwide during the deadliest full year ever recorded.

The UN has reported that 169 UNRWA facilities have been struck in 368 separate incidents, with over 429 displaced people being killed while sheltering in these facilities.

This violence extends beyond aid convoys and shelters. Israeli forces have also shelled and shot at civilians congregating to collect aid, killing and injuring hundreds.

Calls for accountability

The international community is increasingly alarmed by the unprecedented killing of aid workers and the apparent targeting of humanitarian sites by Israel.

These attacks not only violate international humanitarian law, which calls for the protection of civilians and aid workers during armed conflicts, but they are also having a chilling effect on efforts to provide critical assistance to those in desperate need in Gaza.

However, the lack of accountability on part of Israel remains a pressing concern.

The UN and other human rights bodies have repeatedly urged Israeli authorities to adhere to international law and ensure the safety of humanitarian workers operating in Gaza.

In April, The UN Human Rights Office said that attacks against people involved in humanitarian assistance may amount to war crimes, following a deadly strike by Israel against aid workers in Gaza.

“Attacking people or objects involved in humanitarian assistance may amount to a war crime,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said.

“As the High Commissioner has repeatedly stated, impunity must end."