How Israel Kills Aid Workers in Gaza

Gaza is the most dangerous place in the world to be an aid worker. More than 75% of aid workers killed worldwide since Oct. 7th were killed by Israel in Gaza or the West Bank. In at least 15 separate incidents, the Israeli military attacked aid workers in the locations known to and approved by the Israeli military. These are their stories.

A World Central Kitchen car after being struck by the Israeli military. (Photo: Tasnim News Agency)

Nov. 18, 2023: Israeli forces attacked a convoy of clearly-marked Doctors Without Borders (MSF) vehicles, killing 2 staff members, even though MSF coordinated their movement with the Israeli military.

Dec. 9, 2023: The Israeli Navy fired cannon rounds at UNRWA facilities, damaging 2 buildings, even though UNRWA officials had repeatedly shared the coordinates of the guest house with Israeli authorities.

Dec. 16, 2023: Israeli forces shot three rockets at the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Teresa (Missionaries of Charity), killing 2 women, injuring an aid worker and displacing the 54 disabled people sheltering there, leaving some without respirators needed to survive.

Dec. 28, 2023: Israeli forces fired at a UN aid convoy in central Gaza as it was returning from delivering aid in the north, even though the vehicles were clearly marked & the route was coordinated with the Israeli authorities. 

Jan. 8, 2024: Israeli forces fired at a clearly-marked Doctors Without Borders shelter in Khan Younis, killing a 5-year-old, even though the IDF knew of the shelter’s location, which was housing more than 100 staff and their family members.

Jan. 18, 2024: Israeli forces bombed a compound housing International Rescue Committee Medical Aid for Palestinians staff in Al-Mawasi (a "safe zone"), injuring several workers. As a result, IRC & MAP surgeons suspended their work at Nasser hospital. 

Jan. 31, 2024: Israeli forces bombed the Belgian development agency Enabel, even though the Israeli authorities “knew very well that Enabel’s offices were located in this building.” Earlier that day, the Belgian government said it would not suspend funding for UNRWA.

Feb. 5, 2024: Israeli forces shelled a clearly-marked UNRWA convoy stopped at an Israeli holding point, even though UNRWA coordinated the convoy’s movement with Israeli authorities. UNRWA had to pause its operations in North Gaza for three weeks as a result.

Feb. 20, 2024: Israeli forces fired on a Doctors Without Borders shelter, killing 2 family members of the organization’s staff & injuring 7 others, even though a large Doctors Without Borders flag was clearly visible on the building.

Mar. 9, 2024: Israeli forces attacked the home of an Anera employee with a precision-guided bomb, killing him, his son & several neighbors. The Israeli authorities were aware this was the home of an aid worker, email records show just days before the strike.

April 1, 2024: Israeli forces bombed a World Central Kitchen convoy, killing 7 aid workers, including a US citizen, in a car-by-car precision attack, even though WCK coordinated their movements closely with the Israeli authorities.

April 9, 2024: Israeli forces attacked a clearly-marked UNICEF aid truck south of the Salah al-Din checkpoint. The vehicle was shot at while it was being held up at an Israeli checkpoint.

Aug. 27, 2024: Israeli forces attacked a World Food Program convoy as it was approaching an Israeli checkpoint at the Wadi Gaza bridge, despite receiving multiple clearances to proceed, forcing the organization to temporarily suspend staff movement across Gaza.

Aug. 29, 2024: Israeli forces bombed an Anera aid convoy, killing 4 Palestinians as it was en route to the Emirati Red Crescent Hospital, despite coordinating with Israeli authorities.

Sep. 12 2024: Israeli warplanes bombed a UNWRA school currently serving as a refugee camp in central Gaza, killing 34 people, including 6 aid workers providing assistance to displaced people. 

Tragically, these reports might seem almost banal amidst the horrors of the past year. Yet aid workers are the critical link in the chain of survival. Without them the entire population would be starving to death. Thus, Israel’s systematic targeting of aid workers has played a key role in bringing millions of people on the brink of starvation.

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