Over 560 aid workers killed in Gaza as Israeli destruction wreak havoc
UN says systematic targeting of health and relief staff amounts to ‘medicide’ amid two years of war and blockade
ISTANBUL, Türkiye (MNTV) — More than 560 aid workers have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip over the past two years, according to United Nations data, marking one of the deadliest periods for humanitarian personnel in modern conflict.
The UN said at least 562 relief workers—including 376 staff from UN agencies—have died since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, with many victims targeted while delivering food, treating the wounded, or seeking shelter with their families.
Humanitarian organizations say the strikes have crippled Gaza’s relief network, turning the enclave into what aid officials describe as a “graveyard for those who tried to save lives.”
UN and Red Crescent bear heaviest losses
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has suffered the most devastating toll, losing over 360 employees, many killed alongside relatives in airstrikes on homes, schools, and shelters.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has lost at least 54 staff and volunteers, including entire emergency teams wiped out in a single incident.
In one of the most brutal attacks, Israeli troops fired on a convoy of 15 marked emergency responders from the UN and PRCS on March 23, 2024, killing everyone on board before bulldozing their vehicles and burying the bodies.
“They were here to save lives—instead, they ended up in a mass grave,” said Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Palestine.
Global charities repeatedly struck
International aid organizations have also faced deadly strikes. On April 1, 2024, an Israeli drone attack hit a clearly marked World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy in Deir al-Balah, killing seven aid workers from multiple countries.
Despite global outrage, WCK later reported further staff deaths in Rafah and Khan Younis.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) confirmed 14 staff killed since the war began, including one in a recent Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, while Save the Children, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) each reported multiple fatalities among their personnel.
Local community organizations such as the Aisha Association for Women and Child Protection and the Tamer Institute for Community Education have also lost members in direct strikes on offices and homes.
Hospitals have been repeatedly targeted as well. On August 25, 2025, Israeli warplanes bombed Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza twice in succession, killing 20 people—among them four healthcare workers and five journalists.
UN warns of ‘medicide’ and genocide
The UN and human rights experts have condemned the attacks as grave breaches of international humanitarian law. UN special rapporteurs Tlaleng Mofokeng and Francesca Albanese says that Israel is pursuing a deliberate strategy of “medicide”—the systematic killing and destruction of medical workers and facilities—as part of an ongoing genocide.
“In addition to witnessing genocide, we are also witnessing a ‘medicide,’ an intentional creation of conditions calculated to destroy Palestinians in Gaza,” the experts said.
According to UN-verified figures, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and injured nearly 170,000 since October 2023, while over 450 people, including 150 children, have died from famine induced by the blockade on humanitarian aid.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
