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
Alpine Environment
My grandmother has lived in the same Swiss village for 100 years
Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?
Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?
What can be done to protect biodiversity in your country?
Swiss voters are set to decide on a people’s initiative calling for better protection of ecosystems in the country. Have your say on the September 22 vote.
Two dead after glider crash in southern Switzerland
This content was published on
Two people died after their glider crashed in canton Valais on Friday afternoon. The police said the victims were Swiss nationals, aged 72 and 46, who had apparently taken off from canton Aargau.
Scientists alarmed by poor state of biodiversity in Switzerland
This content was published on
Over 100 researchers have sounded the alarm over the state of biodiversity in Switzerland stating that "rapid and effective" measures are needed to strengthen its protection.
Nestle Chair says CEO change was prompted by growth concerns
This content was published on
The abrupt replacement of Nestle SA’s chief executive officer was prompted by worries over the food and beverage company’s growth outlook, Nestlé Chair Paul Bulcke told Swiss newspaper Le Temps.
Four out of five donor hearts for Swiss children come from abroad
This content was published on
Four out of five donor hearts which are transplanted into Swiss children come from outside the Alpine country, according to the director of Swisstransplant.
Climber dies on the Matterhorn in southern Switzerland
This content was published on
A climber died on Thursday after falling with a partner while descending the Matterhorn, near Zermatt, in southern Switzerland. The other mountaineer suffered minor injuries.
This content was published on
The Dalai Lama has arrived in Switzerland for a short visit. Hundreds of Tibetans welcomed him at an airport hotel in Opfikon, near Zurich, on Friday.
Sudan: Swiss among mediators calling for continuous flow of aid
This content was published on
The seven parties, including Switzerland, who led ten days of talks on Sudan in the Geneva region, are calling for the new flow of aid to “continue and accelerate”.
Coo d’état: Basel struggles to enforce pigeon-feeding ban
This content was published on
Police in the Swiss canton of Basel City have issued only eight fines since the ban on pigeon feeding came into force in July 2020.
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.