The United Nations expressed its grief and outrage on Monday over the death of 88 staffers from its Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA in Gaza, marking the highest number of UN fatalities ever recorded in a single conflict. The 88 staff members were reportedly killed since the start of hostilities on October 7, when Israel launched a massive aerial and ground assault on the Hamas-ruled enclave.
A joint statement from the heads of all major UN agencies called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and demanded that Hamas release the hostages it kidnapped from Israel. “It’s been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop now,” the statement read.
The statement also condemned the repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including the Al-Shifa Hospital and the Jabalia refugee camp, where many UNRWA employees and beneficiaries lived.