At least 102 staff members killed in Gaza in Israel-Hamas war: UN aid agency

• Image Credit: Google

• Nov 14, 2023 | Dhupali Das

At least 102 United Nations staff members have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel...

Digital Desk: At least 102 United Nations staff members have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, CNN reported, citing the UN aid agency operating in the enclave's statement on Monday. It said that at least 27 UN staff members have been injured since the start of the war.

In the statement, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) revealed that in the past 24 hours alone, one of its staff members, along with her family, was killed in the northern part of the Gaza Strip due to strikes. This grim development brings the death toll to more than 100, with an additional 27 UN staff members reported injured since the commencement of the war.

In response to the tragic loss of their colleagues, United Nations offices worldwide lowered their flags to half-staff on Monday. A moment of silence was observed by all UN staff members to mourn and honor those who lost their lives in Gaza.

The conflict escalated on October 7 when Hamas initiated an attack on Israel. In retaliation, Israel launched a robust counter-offensive targeting Hamas sites in Gaza. Israeli authorities report over 1200 deaths in Israel since the onset of the conflict, while Palestinian authorities state that at least 11,180 have perished in Gaza as of November 13, as per CNN.

Simultaneously, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that two soldiers lost their lives fighting against Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, bringing the death toll in the Israeli ground operation to 46. The fallen soldiers were identified as Staff Sgt Roee Marom (21), a squad commander in the 906 Battalion, and Master Sgt Raz Abulafia (27), a fighter in the 6863 Battalion. Additionally, a reservist logistics soldier and a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) in the Combat Engineering Corp's 605th Battalion were seriously injured during the fighting in northern Gaza.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant asserted that Hamas had lost control in the Gaza Strip as the Israel Defence Forces moved to fully capture Gaza City, according to The Times of Israel. Gallant emphasized that the IDF is advancing across all locations, with terrorists fleeing south and civilians reportedly looting Hamas bases, displaying a loss of confidence in the government's ability to control the situation.