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World Humanitarian Day event demands protection for aid workers
The Gaza Strip in Palestine has become the deadliest place, with more than 250 humanitarian workers being killed in the past 10 months, amid Israel’s attack on Hamas, which began in October of last year.
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A worker carries bags of humanitarian aid that entered Gaza by truck through the Kerem Shalom (Karm Abu Salem) border crossing in the southern part of the Palestinian territory on Feb. 17, 2024, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP/Said Khatib)
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housands of people gathered in South Jakarta on Sunday calling for increased protection for aid workers in conflict zones across the world, including in Gaza.
The event, which was held to commemorate World Humanitarian Day observed every Aug. 19, came as fatalities among aid workers continued to rise around the globe.
The Gaza Strip in Palestine has become the deadliest place, with more than 250 humanitarian workers being killed in the past 10 months, amid Israel’s attack on Hamas, which began in October of last year.
“Every attack on aid workers is an attack on humanity itself,” said Thandie Mwape, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Indonesia on Sunday.
Read also: Gaza's overwhelmed undertakers stack 'graves on top of graves'
“It’s imperative that all parties to conflicts respect international humanitarian law and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. On a day like today, we must also commend the safe humanitarian space in Indonesia,” she continued.
The year 2023 had been the deadliest year for humanitarian workers, according to the UN, with a total of 280 aid officials killed; more than twice the figure in the previous year.
Over 40,000 people, including aid workers, have died in the Gaza Strip in the past 10 months, according to the Palestinian Health Authority, as Israel continues its military reprisal against Hamas.
Indonesia, a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause, has relentlessly championed humanitarian aid for besieged Gaza, with numerous deployments of assistance and some citizens volunteering in various capacities in the territory.
