NEW YORK, April 1, 2025 (WAFA) - UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini expressed devastation over the confirmed killing of two additional UNRWA staff members and eight Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) aid workers and first responders.

“This brings the death toll of aid workers to 408, including more than 280 UNRWA staff, since the war began a year and a half ago,” Lazzarini stated in a post on X.

He revealed that the body of a UNRWA staff member killed in Rafah was recovered yesterday, along with the remains of the PRCS aid workers, all of whom had been discarded in shallow graves. “A profound violation of human dignity,” he described.

Lazzarini underscored the urgent need for civilian protection, saying, “Whether on the front lines or in their homes with their families, civilians must be protected at all times.”

He further warned that the systematic killing of aid workers in Gaza was becoming routine, stressing, “This cannot become the new norm. There must be accountability. International humanitarian law applies to all, without exception.”

T.R.