The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on World Humanitarian Day that 360 of its staff members have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of Israel’s war on the Strip last October, one of the heaviest losses ever recorded by a UN humanitarian agency.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini paid tribute to the slain workers, stressing that they “have not given up despite the daily hell they endure.” Many of those killed died while carrying out their duties, while hundreds more were injured, and at least 50 were detained by Israeli forces, with some reportedly tortured before release. Lazzarini reaffirmed the agency’s mission to serve Palestinian refugees “until a just solution is reached,” despite mounting pressures.

The toll comes as Israel intensifies efforts to dismantle UNRWA. In October 2024, the Knesset passed legislation banning the agency’s work in areas under Israeli control, revoking privileges it had held since 1967, and prohibiting official Israeli contact with the organisation. Rights groups warn this is part of a wider campaign to delegitimise UNRWA, moving from questioning its efficiency, to portraying it as a threat, and now falsely linking it to the events of 7 October.

Meanwhile, Gaza remains in the grip of devastation. According to the Ministry of Health, 62,004 Palestinians have been killed and more than 156,000 injured since the start of the war, with thousands missing under the rubble. Famine-related deaths continue to rise, with 263 people, including 112 children, already lost to hunger and malnutrition. Despite international outcry and rulings from the International Court of Justice, Israel presses on with its assault, leaving Gaza in what humanitarian agencies describe as “a catastrophe without precedent.”