Israel's war on Gaza deadliest ever for humanitarian workers: PRCS
Iran Press TV
Tuesday, 19 August 2025 2:07 PM
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has stated that Israeli forces have deliberately targeted humanitarian missions and aid workers in Gaza on a scale unprecedented in any other war.
Marking World Humanitarian Day, PRCS President Younis al-Khatib posted a video on X, saying that "more than in any other war, Palestinian humanitarians have been killed" during Israel's ongoing genocidal campaign in Gaza.
"The international community is obliged to protect humanitarians and to ensure protection for humanity," al-Khatib said, urging governments to "take concrete action to protect humanitarians everywhere."
World Humanitarian Day, observed annually on August 19, commemorates the 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad, which killed UN rights chief Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other aid workers.
United Nations humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher echoed the warning on Tuesday, describing the situation as a "shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy."
He cited figures showing that 383 aid workers were killed worldwide last year—nearly half of them in Gaza.
According to Fletcher, killings of aid workers rose by 31 percent compared to the previous year, "driven by the relentless conflict in Gaza, where 181 humanitarian workers were killed, and in Sudan, where 60 lost their lives."
He said, "Even one attack against a humanitarian colleague is an attack on all of us and on the people we serve."
"Attacks on this scale with zero accountability are a shameful indictment of international inaction and apathy."
One of the deadliest strikes on aid workers occurred on March 23 in southern Gaza, when Israeli forces killed 15 medics and emergency responders travelling in clearly marked vehicles.
The PRCS said that the medics are believed to have been executed by the regime's forces.
Four ambulances were later found destroyed and buried in sand in the southern city of Rafah.
Israel's war on Gaza has been marked by systematic attacks on humanitarian workers, with aid convoys, ambulances, and relief missions repeatedly targeted despite being clearly marked.
Human rights groups say that these assaults reflect the regime's brutal policy aimed at crippling life-saving operations, leaving civilians without medical care, food, or shelter.
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