101 Staff Died In Gaza: UN Implements Creation And Raising Half-Pang Flags In All Offices

UN Secretary General Antiono Guterres along with UN officials, staff and envoys committed a moment of silence. (Twitter/@UN_News_Centre)

JAKARTA - Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to UN workers committed a moment of silence and a half-mast flag-raising on Monday, in honor of more than 100 of their UN counterparts for the Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) who died in the Hamas-Israeli conflict that broke out last month.

UN Office Staff in Geneva lowered their heads as candles were lit in memory of 101 UNRWA workers who died as a result of Israeli attacks on Gaza. This is the largest death toll of humanitarian workers in the history of the 78-year-old organization.

"This is the highest number of humanitarian aid workers killed in the history of our organization in a short time," said UN Office Director General in Geneva Tatiana Valovaya.

"We gathered here today, united in this very symbolic location, to pay tribute to our brave colleagues, who sacrificed their lives while serving under the UN flag," he said with shaking lips.

Israel blames Hamas for the deaths of civilians in Gaza, saying the group used residents in the coastal area as human shields. Hamas denies this.

This morning UN staff honoured colleagues who had made the ultimate sacrifice. The UN flag flew at half-mast at the Organization’s offices around the world on Monday in memory of the 101 staff members of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, killed in Gaza since 7 October. pic.twitter.com/PW7uQaRRJi

— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) November 13, 2023

This morning UN staff heated colleges who had made the ultimate scenario. The UN flag flare at half-mass at the Organization's offices around the world on Monday in memory of the 101 staff members of the UN agency for Palestine references, UNRWA, killed in Gaza since October 7th. pic.twitter.com/PW7uQaRJi

"I want to say, we are really facing a very challenging time for multilateralism, for the world," Valovaya said.

"But the United Nations is now more relevant than ever," he said.

UNRWA said several staff members were killed while queuing for bread, while others died with their families at their homes, as a result of fighting on land and air between Hamas-Israel.

"UNRWA staff in Gaza appreciates the decline in the UN flag around the world," Tom White, director of UNRWA in Gaza, said in a statement.

"But in Gaza, we must continue to fly the UN flag as a sign that we are still standing and serving the Gaza people," he stressed.

Founded in 1949 after the first Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA provided public services including schools, health services and assistance. Many of the 5,000 UNRWA staff working in Gaza are Palestinian refugees.

It is known, after Gaza, the next deadliest conflict for UN aid workers was Nigeria, where 46 people died as a result of a suicide bombing that rocked the United Nations office in Abuja in 2011.