More than a dozen humanitarian workers have either lost their lives or gone missing in Gaza over the past few days, as multiple aid organizations report escalating dangers amid Israel’s ongoing military blockade and renewed offensive on the Palestinian enclave.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency revealed on Thursday that eight of its employees had been killed in Gaza within the past week.
Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that nine of its emergency medical technicians have been unaccounted for since Sunday, following an incident in which Israeli forces fired on ambulances and fire trucks in Rafah, a governorate in southern Gaza.
In a separate event, an Israeli strike near a community kitchen on Thursday claimed the life of a World Central Kitchen volunteer and left six others injured while they were distributing meals, according to the US-based non-profit organization.
CNN reached out to Israeli authorities regarding the fatalities involving UNRWA and WCK staff.
In response, the Israeli military stated that its forces had targeted ambulances and fire trucks in Rafah because they were allegedly being used as cover by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants.
These incidents occurred as Israel resumed its military campaign on March 18, effectively ending a temporary ceasefire that had been in place since January.
Since then, Israeli attacks have resulted in at least 855 fatalities and 1,869 injuries, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
The violence follows Israel’s prior decision, made before the ceasefire broke down, to halt humanitarian aid entry into Gaza. Israeli authorities had justified this move as an attempt to pressure Hamas into accepting revised terms for extending the truce, rather than advancing into the second phase of negotiations.
The United Nations and humanitarian groups have accused Israel of breaching international law by obstructing aid deliveries, claiming that the blockade amounts to using starvation as a weapon of war.
These organizations have repeatedly criticized Israel for imposing restrictions on relief efforts since the conflict began.
Amid mounting hardship, rare protests against Hamas erupted in northern Gaza, with demonstrators expressing frustration over both Israel’s actions and the governance of Hamas.
Some participants told CNN that they hold both parties responsible for the dire conditions they now face.
Addressing the loss of UNRWA staff, the agency’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini on Thursday urged the immediate reinstatement of the ceasefire and an end to Israel’s aid blockade.
“No humanitarian aid has entered Gaza for more than three weeks now,” Lazzarini emphasized, highlighting that prior to the ceasefire’s collapse, between 500 and 600 aid trucks were arriving in Gaza daily.
“This is the longest period Gaza has gone without any supplies since the war began,” he added.
Israel launched its military operation in Gaza following Hamas’ attack in October 2023, during which militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Since then, Israeli offensives have resulted in over 50,000 Palestinian deaths.
With the renewed hostilities, the World Food Programme has warned that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of severe hunger and malnutrition. In a statement released Thursday, the WFP stated that its food supplies in Gaza could only sustain relief efforts for another two weeks.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also reported on Tuesday that around 10 community kitchens in Gaza had shut down due to continued fighting and energy shortages.
The agency further noted that cooking gas was available “only in extremely limited quantities at exorbitant prices,” leaving residents with no alternative but to rely on these kitchens.
Lazzarini of UNRWA warned that parents are struggling to find food for their children, hunger is rising, and the risk of disease is growing.
“The siege must be lifted and border crossings reopened to allow a steady flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies,” he urged.
Since October 7, 2023, approximately 400 humanitarian workers, including teachers, doctors, and nurses, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to OCHA. This toll includes 289 UN staff, 34 PRCS personnel, and 76 workers from other non-governmental organizations.
The PRCS reported that its missing EMTs were last seen in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah, where they were “besieged and targeted by Israeli forces” on Sunday.
Their search efforts were delayed until Thursday due to restricted access to the area.
Similarly, Gaza’s Civil Defense reported that six of its personnel disappeared in the same vicinity after being deployed last weekend, following an unexpected Israeli incursion.
The Civil Defense claims that the operation resulted in mass casualties and the entrapment of PRCS vehicles.
On Thursday, PRCS recovered the body of one missing Civil Defense team member.
Regarding the incident in Rafah, the Israeli military told CNN that it fired at “suspicious vehicles” that approached its forces without prior coordination, headlights, or emergency signals during an anti-militant operation in southern Gaza last Sunday.
The military claimed to have “eliminated a number of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists” during the attack and accused Palestinian militant groups of repeatedly using civilian infrastructure—including ambulances and medical facilities—for military purposes.
Since the onset of the war, PRCS reports that 19 of its personnel have died in the line of duty.
“We cannot bear to add more names to this tragic list,” a PRCS spokesperson stated on Thursday, calling on the global community to take concrete steps to ensure the safety of medical personnel.
The PRCS has pledged to continue search and rescue efforts on Friday.
Meanwhile, aid deliveries remain stalled. Images from March 2, 2025, depict trucks loaded with supplies waiting at the Rafah border crossing in Egypt, unable to enter Gaza due to the blockade.
World Central Kitchen confirmed that the recent Israeli strikes near a community kitchen resulted in the death of one of its volunteers and injuries to six others while food was being distributed.
“Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the loss of one of our volunteers in Gaza,” the organization stated.
This is not the first time WCK has suffered losses in the conflict. In April 2024, Israeli military strikes killed seven WCK staff members, triggering international condemnation and a rare acknowledgment from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who pledged to investigate the incident.
Despite the dangers, WCK remains committed to its mission.
“We will continue to support community kitchens throughout the region and operate our field kitchens where possible, based on daily assessments,” the organization reaffirmed. “We hope for peace for all and a lasting ceasefire.”
