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The fallen colleagues worked for the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, providing life-saving aid to Gaza’s 2.2 million people, amid constant bombardment over the past month and a complete siege of the enclave.

They were school principals, teachers, health workers, including a gynaecologist, engineers, support staff and a psychologist.

“UNRWA staff in Gaza appreciate the UN lowering the flag around the world. In Gaza however, we have to keep the UN flag flying high as a sign that we are still standing and serving the people of Gaza,” said Tom White, the agency’s Director in the Gaza Strip, speaking from Rafah.

Minute of silence

UN officials and staff at duty stations worldwide observed a minute of silence in memory of their deceased colleagues, while the UN flag was flown at half-mast.

Speaking in Geneva, Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the UN Office in the Swiss city said their deaths represented the highest number of aid workers killed in UN history in such a short time.

“Thousands of our colleagues continue to work under the UN flag in [the] most risky parts of the world. And let's pay tribute to their activities, to their work, to their devotion,” she said.

'A guiding light'

The UNRWA staff members “embodied the spirit of the United Nations, standing on the frontlines of conflict zones to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance and support,” said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaking at its headquarters in Geneva.

“Their unwavering dedication to peace, justice, and the well-being of others serves as a guiding light and a reminder of the importance of our shared mission,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus told WHO personnel.

UN News

Staff Union Ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York, to honor colleagues killed in Gaza

Secretary-General António Guterres led the minute of silence at UN Headquarters in New York, which was held in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber.

He stood before UN Resident Coordinators from around the world, who are meeting this week, flanked by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and the President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis.

Meanwhile, the UN Staff Union held a ceremony in the Secretariat lobby where the names of the deceased colleagues were read aloud.

“May they rest in eternal power and peace,” said First Vice-President Francisco Brito, surrounded by staff members, some of whom held signs that said ‘responsibility to protect,’ ‘stop the killing,’ ‘protect civilians’ and other appeals.

UN flag lowered

The commemoration at the Secretariat began around 7:30 AM, with the UN flag being raised to half-mast – the sole one flying that day.

Normally all the flags of the UN’s 193 Member States and two observer States – Palestine and Vatican City – are raised each weekday morning, and in alphabetical order, then lowered in the afternoon.

The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, Riyad Mansour who attended the simple ceremony in front of the Secretariat, said the gesture honoured the deceased UNRWA staff members and all “Palestinian martyrs”, including thousands of children killed in the “barbaric war”.

He stressed the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, along with “hundreds of truckloads” of aid, medicine and water.

“And we want to stop the crime against humanity of forced mass transfer…to allow the Palestinian people to stay in the Gaza Strip. It is our homeland,” he continued.

“We don't want to live a second Nakba. We want to stay in our homeland and to rebuild the Gaza Strip.”

Mr. Mansour also expressed hope for “a political horizon” to end the occupation “so that Palestinian people can live in freedom and dignity in our independent State, with Holy Jerusalem as the capital of our State.”

Any plans for short-term pauses in the fighting in Gaza must be carried out in coordination with the UN and following agreement by all sides, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said on Thursday during his regular press briefing from New York.

Stéphane Dujarric was responding to a journalist’s question following the White House’s announcement that Israel has agreed to halt military operations in northern Gaza to allow daily four-hour humanitarian pauses.

Parties must agree

“How any such halt in the fighting, and how it would work for humanitarian purposes, will need to be coordinated with the United Nations, especially on the issue of timings and location,” he said.

“And obviously in order for this to be done safely for humanitarian purposes, it would have to be agreed with all parties to the conflict to be truly effective.”

Escape from north Gaza

Meanwhile, humanitarians report that people in northern Gaza continue to flee to the south, mostly on foot, amid intense hostilities, with some 50,000 people evacuated on Wednesday.

Clashes and shelling on and around the road reportedly continued, endangering evacuees as they moved south, with reports of corpses being seen on the road.

Hundreds of thousands of people who remain in the north are facing a dire humanitarian situation, as they struggle to find even minimal amounts of water and food to survive.

Aid trickling in

Mr. Dujarric also updated on efforts to get more aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the sole point of access for the besieged enclave.

He said 106 trucks primarily carrying food, medicine, health supplies, bottled water and hygiene products, arrived in Gaza on Wednesday.

Aid delivery began on 21 October and 756 trucks have made the journey to date, which “represents only a fraction of what is needed and still no fuel going in.”

One consequence was that Al Quds hospital in Gaza City had to shut down key services on Wednesday, while the only provider of maternity services in north Gaza – Al Awda hospital – has warned of imminent closure.

Wednesday also saw the second delivery of much-needed medical supplies and medicine to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City since conflict erupted on 7 October. The items were provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA.

“Our WHO colleagues say that while welcome, the quantities delivered are far from sufficient to meet the immediate needs,” he said.

Honouring fallen colleagues

Mr. Dujarric also announced that the UN Flag will fly at half-mast on Monday to pay tribute to the 99 UNRWA colleagues who have lost their lives during the bombardment and fighting so far.

Many of these workers – who include teachers, school principals, doctors, engineers, guards and support staff - were killed along with their family members.

UN offices across the world are also asked to lower their flags and to observe a minute of silence in their honour.