Red Cross Calls for Greater Awareness of Local Aid Workers’ Deaths, Reports Reuters

By Simon Lewis

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies stated on Tuesday that the killings of local humanitarian workers in global conflicts should spark the same outrage as those affecting international aid workers.

This year has seen a dramatic increase in the number of aid workers killed, predominantly due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Since the conflict erupted in October, nearly 300 humanitarian aid workers have lost their lives, with over two-thirds being U.N. personnel.

Speaking to reporters during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain reported that 30 local Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers have been killed while on duty and wearing the organizations’ insignia since the beginning of the year. He highlighted that 17 of these fatalities occurred in the Palestinian territories and eight in Sudan, urging countries and international organizations to enhance protective measures for these individuals.

“They come from the communities they serve, yet unfortunately, they are the ones most often hurt and killed,” he remarked, noting that these incidents receive insufficient attention. “When they are killed on a mission, clearly identified as humanitarian workers, and there is not the level of outcry needed to prompt change, it leaves me feeling helpless.”

Chapagain referenced an analysis indicating that media coverage of attacks on humanitarian workers primarily focuses on incidents involving international staff.

He pointed to the April killing of seven workers from a U.S.-based charity in an Israeli airstrike, a tragedy that drew widespread condemnation and led to calls for better protection of aid workers. “That outrage helped bring the issue to the forefront, but then the attention fizzled out dramatically,” he said, emphasizing that sustained focus is crucial for effecting change in these circumstances.