GAZA CITY, Palestine
The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has condemned the discovery of humanitarian workers’ bodies buried in shallow graves in Gaza, calling it ''a profound violation of human dignity.''
Posting on X, Lazzarini confirmed that the body of a UN colleague killed in Rafah had been recovered alongside aid workers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).
Lazzarini emphasized that the individuals killed were humanitarian workers and stressed that civilians, whether working on the front lines or at home with their families, must be protected at all times.
He stated that putting emergency responders, journalists, or humanitarian staff at risk reflects a blatant and serious violation of international law. He warned that such actions must not be allowed to become a new standard.
Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza, also described the site as a ''mass grave'' in his post on X.
He said the burial site had been marked by the flashing emergency light from a destroyed ambulance, and shared images of Red Crescent teams digging through sand near a crushed firetruck and a UN vehicle.
"Seven days ago, civil defence and PRCS ambulances arrived at the scene. One by one, they were hit, they were struck. Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave,'' Whittall added in a post on X.
The Israeli military did not comment directly on the deaths of the PRCS workers. In a statement to Reuters, it said it had helped facilitate the evacuation of the bodies from what it called an ''active combat zone.'' It did not respond to questions regarding why the bodies were buried beneath sand or why the aid vehicles were crushed.
According to Lazzarini, the incident brings the number of humanitarian workers killed in Gaza since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war to 408.
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