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Türkiye signed the “Declaration on the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel” during a ceremony at the 80th United Nations General Assembly, honoring aid workers killed while helping those in need, particularly in Gaza.
Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz signed the declaration on behalf of Türkiye, the Foreign Ministry said Monday in a statement on X.
The declaration was adopted in memory of humanitarian personnel killed in conflict zones, with organizers noting Gaza has become the world’s most dangerous place for aid workers due to Israeli attacks.
The Israeli army resumed heavy assaults on March 18 after a ceasefire that had taken effect Jan. 19. Since Oct. 7, 2023, at least 65,174 Palestinians have been killed and 166,071 wounded in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, according to health officials. From March 18 alone, after Israel broke the ceasefire, 12,622 people have been killed and 54,030 injured.
Israel has also implemented an operational plan to expand and make permanent its occupation of Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to occupy the entire strip.
Since May 27, systematic Israeli attacks on civilians at aid distribution points established under the Israel-U.S.-backed “Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation” have killed 2,514 Palestinians and wounded 18,431, according to Palestinian officials. Aid workers carrying out relief operations have repeatedly come under fire.
In May, Istanbul-based humanitarian group IHH said five of its staff working in Gaza in cooperation with the U.N. World Food Program were killed in Israeli strikes, while two others were seriously injured.
“Five of our colleagues working on our project in Gaza in cooperation with the World Food Program (WFP) were martyred in the recent attacks carried out by the occupying Israeli forces over the past two days, and two others were seriously injured,” IHH said in a statement on X.
The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, condemned Israel’s repeated attacks on aid workers and facilities, calling them violations of international law that are worsening Gaza’s famine.
“In 30 years of humanitarian work, I have never encountered such blatant disregard for the protected status of humanitarian workers, facilities, and operations under international law,” Lazzarini said in a CNN video shared by UNRWA on X.
He stressed that Gaza’s famine is not a natural disaster but the result of deliberate Israeli policies, including “restrictions on aid, destruction of vital infrastructure, and repeated attacks on humanitarian operations.”
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