A United Nations official has been killed together with greater than 70 members of his prolonged household in an Israeli air strike close to Gaza City, as a whole lot of individuals have been killed in intensified bombardment since Friday’s UN Security Council decision that has been criticised as “woefully insufficient”.
Issam Al Mughrabi, 56, who labored for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for 3 many years was killed alongside together with his spouse and youngsters in an Israeli air strike on Friday.
“For almost 30 years, Issam has worked with UNDP through our Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People,” UNDP administrator Achim Steiner stated in a press release.
“The loss of Issam and his family has deeply affected us all. The UN and civilians in Gaza are not a target.”
Offering his condolences to Issam’s household and colleagues the World Health Organization’s chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus burdened in a publish on X that “humanitarians should never be victims” and referred to as for a ceasefire.
So saddened by this tragedy @ASteiner. My deepest condolences to all who knew and cherished Issam and his household, you and everybody at @UNDP.
Humanitarians ought to by no means be victims. We want a #CeasefireNOW in #Gaza.https://t.co/E2r6BCQSBl https://t.co/C7NuyHSLcG
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 23, 2023
Since Israel’s struggle on Gaza started on October 7, 136 workers members of the UN have been killed.
On Friday, the worldwide company’s secretary-general Antonio Guterres stated that all through the UN’s historical past, that they had by no means witnessed the demise of their workers in such giant numbers.
“Most of our staff have been forced from their homes,” he added in a publish on X, paying tribute to UN members working in Gaza.
Difficult weekend for Gaza and the Israeli military
The demise of the veteran UN workers member and his members of the family comes as Israeli air strikes proceed to kill a whole lot of Palestinians within the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday, Gaza’s Ministry of Health stated that at the very least 201 Palestinians had been killed and almost 370 wounded by Israeli forces prior to now 24 hours in Gaza.
In the early hours of Sunday, a 13-year-old little one was additionally killed by an Israeli drone close to El Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, in accordance with the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
More than 8,000 youngsters have been killed in Gaza for the reason that Israel-Hamas struggle started on October 7.
Reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud stated that Saturday in a single day, extra residential areas in Deir el-Balah metropolis, the place individuals from locations such because the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps have been ordered to evacuate, got here below heavy bombardment, and houses have been destroyed. He stated the japanese aspect of the Gaza Strip was additionally experiencing fierce airstrikes.
“As of now, the search for people under the rubble is ongoing,” Hani stated.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher highlighted the way it has additionally been a troublesome weekend for the Israeli military in Gaza, with 5 troopers killed on Friday and eight on Saturday, on account of fierce combating within the Strip.
“You’ve heard from the Israelis suggesting that in northern Gaza, they had military control. The fact that they are still losing soldiers, that rockets are still being fired from Gaza towards Israel, would suggest that they don’t have that control and that means that this phase of the war is likely to go on for longer,” Fisher stated, reporting from Ramallah, within the occupied West Bank.
Difficulty in delivering support
On Friday, the UN handed a decision after days of delays that watered down the language. It referred to as for support supply however couldn’t agree on a ceasefire. Aid teams say the relentless bombardment and the fierce combating between the Israeli military and Hamas have impeded support supply within the besieged enclave the place persons are dealing with starvation.
“The real problem is that the way Israel is conducting this offensive is creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid inside Gaza,” UN chief Guterres stated.
“An effective aid operation in Gaza requires security, staff who can work in safety, logistical capacity, and the resumption of commercial activity. These four elements do not exist,” he added.
UNRWA director Thomas White shared related considerations and highlighted that circumstances on the bottom for support staff ought to be safe, for support deliveries to be carried out.
“We need a ceasefire that will stop the killing of civilians and destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza,” he stated.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/24/israeli-strikes-kill-un-staff-more-than-70-of-his-extended-family-in-gaza?traffic_source=rss
