UN compounds throughout Asia lowered their flags to half-mast and observed a minute of silence on Monday to honor colleagues who lost their lives in Gaza amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict.
At 9:30 a.m. local time, the UN flag was ceremoniously lowered at offices in Bangkok, Tokyo, and Beijing. This act of remembrance followed the United Nations report of numerous deaths and injuries resulting from strikes on a facility in Gaza.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported on Friday that over 100 of its staff members had been killed in Gaza since the conflict’s onset.
Israel commenced airstrikes in the Gaza Strip following a fatal attack by Hamas on Israeli communities on October 7.
Israeli authorities report that the Hamas attacks resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, predominantly civilians, and around 240 hostages.
In response, Israeli retaliatory strikes have led to over 11,000 deaths in Gaza, the majority being civilians, as reported by the health ministry controlled by Hamas in the region.
The UNRWA disclosed on Friday that over 100 of its employees have been killed in Gaza during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which has persisted for over a month.
The General Commissioner of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, expressed his profound grief on platform X, stating, “It is confirmed that over 100 of our colleagues from UNRWA, including families, teachers, nurses, and doctors, have been killed in just one month.”
