UN death toll in Gaza exceeds 60

Since the beginning of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, 63 UN employees have been killed; over the past three days, 10 people working in the organization have been killed. About it it says in a statement by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

“Over the past 72 hours, 10 more UNRWA personnel were killed, bringing the total number of UNRWA personnel killed since October 7 to 63,” the agency said. At least 22 employees were injured.

The UN General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestinian refugees. UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

On October 11, four days after the fighting began, UNRWA Deputy Director for Gaza Affairs Jennifer Austin reportedthat 11 agency employees were killed. “Among them are five UNRWA school teachers, one gynecologist, one engineer, one psychologist and three support staff,” she said.

The bombing of the Gaza Strip intensified on the evening of October 27, targeting the eastern and northern regions. On October 28, the Israeli army also reported that it had struck 150 underground sites in the Gaza Strip overnight. In the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights statedthat bombing densely populated areas constitutes war crimes under international humanitarian law.

The Israel Defense Forces announced on October 27 an expansion of the ground operation in the enclave and called on residents of the northern Gaza Strip to move to the south, promising them humanitarian assistance. The army said it was moving to a “new phase” of the war against Hamas.