The United Nations has declared 2024 the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers, with 383 killed worldwide, nearly half slaughtered in Gaza by Israel’s relentless and genocidal war against Palestinians.

The besieged territory has become a graveyard not only for civilians but for brave aid workers risking their lives to provide relief amid Israel’s campaign of annihilation.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Aid Worker Security Database, the death toll of humanitarian staff surged from 293 in 2023 to 383 in 2024. Over 180 of these heroes were killed in Gaza, where Israeli forces have systematically targeted medical teams, ambulance crews, and aid convoys in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. These attacks are part of a broader pattern of war crimes, enabled by the silence and complicity of Western powers.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher condemned the killings as “a shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy.” In his World Humanitarian Day statement, he demanded accountability, stating, “Attacks on this scale, with zero accountability, are a disgrace. We demand those with power act for humanity, protect civilians and aid workers, and hold the perpetrators to account.”

Gaza: A Killing Field for Heroes

Gaza bore the brunt of this violence, with 194 major attacks on aid workers recorded in 2024—the highest globally. The most horrific incident occurred on March 23 in Rafah, southern Gaza, when Israeli troops opened fire on clearly marked ambulances and rescue vehicles before dawn, killing 15 medics and first responders. In a chilling act of barbarity, the soldiers then bulldozed the bodies and wrecked ambulances, burying them in a mass grave. UN investigators and surviving rescue teams recovered the remains only a week later.

Palestinian rights groups and humanitarian organizations have long warned that Israel’s war on Gaza targets not only civilians but also those striving to save lives. This deliberate assault on aid workers underscores the genocidal nature of Israel’s campaign, which has claimed over 62,000 Palestinian lives since October 2023.

Global Impunity Fuels the Crisis

While Gaza accounts for nearly half of the aid worker deaths, Sudan ranks as the second deadliest region, with 60 killed amid its civil war. Lebanon, reeling from the Israeli-Hezbollah war, saw 20 aid workers killed, followed by Ethiopia and Syria (14 each) and Ukraine (13). Globally, aid workers faced 599 major attacks in 2024, up from 420 the previous year, with 308 wounded, 125 kidnapped, and 45 detained. Most victims were local staff serving their own communities, often killed in their homes or while responding to emergencies.

Western Complicity and Calls for Justice

Despite repeated pleas from humanitarian groups, Israel’s systematic targeting of aid convoys, shelters, and hospitals in Gaza continues unabated. Palestinian advocates accuse Western governments of enabling these atrocities through ongoing arms sales and diplomatic cover for Israel’s occupation regime. The international community’s failure to act has emboldened Israel to escalate its war crimes, leaving Gaza’s people and their defenders under siege.

“Even one attack against a humanitarian colleague is an attack on all of us and the people we serve,” Fletcher said. “Violence against aid workers is not inevitable. It must end.”As Israel’s genocidal war rages on, the killing of aid workers in Gaza stands as a stark reminder of the occupation’s brutality and the world’s shameful inaction. The blood of these heroes demands justice—justice that will only come when the international community holds Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity. (ILKHA)