United Nations workers observed a minute’s silence on Monday to honour the more than 100 employees killed in Gaza since the Israeli-Palestinian war began last month as UN flags flew at half-mast.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Reuters
Español
es
Las Naciones Unidas guardan un minuto de silencio por los 101 funcionarios muertos en Gaza
Staff at UN offices in Geneva bowed their heads as a candle was lit in memory of the 101 employees of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza.
“This is the highest number of aid workers killed in the history of our organisation in such a short time,” said Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations in Geneva.
“We are gathered here today, united in this very symbolic location, to pay respect to our brave colleagues who sacrificed their lives while serving under the United Nations flag.”
UNRWA has said that some staff members were killed while queuing for bread while others were killed along with their families in their homes in Israel’s aerial and ground war against Hamas in response to the October 7 cross-border assault by the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip.
“UNRWA staff in Gaza appreciate the UN lowering the flag around the world,” Tom White, director of UNRWA in Gaza, said in a statement. “In Gaza however, we have to keep the UN flag flying high as a sign that we are still standing and serving the people of Gaza.”
After Gaza, the next most deadly conflict for UN aid workers was Nigeria in 2011 when a suicide bomber attacked their Abuja office during an Islamist insurgency, killing 46 people.
Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths in the densely populated enclave, saying the group uses the population as human shields. Hamas denies the charge.
“I would like to say that we are really facing very challenging times for multilateralism, for the world,” Valovaya said. “But the United Nations is more relevant than ever.”
Established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA provides public services including schools, healthcare and aid. Many of UNRWA’s 5,000 staff working in Gaza are Palestinian refugees themselves.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Workplace Switzerland
What lies ahead for Switzerland: an economic outlook for 2025
Have you heard something about Swiss diplomacy that you’d like us to fact check?
Not all information circulating about Switzerland’s foreign relations is accurate or well understood. Tell us what you'd like us to fact check or clarify.
Gerhard Pfister to step down as Swiss Centre Party leader
This content was published on
Swiss Centre Party president Gerhard Pfister will step down next summer, the party announced in a press release on Monday.
SWISS crew member ‘died as a result of oxygen deprivation’
This content was published on
SWISS crew member reportedly died of brain damage resulting from lack of oxygen, following an emergency landing last month.
Zurich flights cancelled due to snow and freezing rain
This content was published on
Snowfall and freezing rain severely disrupt air traffic at Zurich airport over the weekend, with more than 50 flights being cancelled.
Terror threat rising in Switzerland, says Attorney General
This content was published on
The number of active terrorism investigations in Switzerland has doubled since 2022, according to the country’s top prosecutor.
Credit Suisse Nazi ties ‘ran deeper than thought’: media report
This content was published on
Credit Suisse is alleged to have withheld details of its historic links with World War II-era Nazi clients, says the Wall Street Journal.
Swiss man faces life imprisonment after Australia drugs arrest
This content was published on
Swiss man, 21, accused of attempting to smuggle 25 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of CHF4.5 million into Australia.
Swiss insurer Helvetia says 500 jobs affected by cost-cutting
This content was published on
Some 500 jobs, including 200 to 250 in Switzerland, are affected by the new operational efficiency measures recently announced by insurer Helvetia.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.