The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, expressed his condolences over the death of a staff member from the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) and the injury of another DSS staffer in an attack in Gaza, as relayed by his Deputy Spokesman.
According to Farhan Haq, the Deputy Spokesman, the incident occurred on Monday morning when their UN-marked vehicle was targeted while en route to the European Hospital in Rafah.
“The Secretary-General condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation. He sends his condolences to the family of the fallen staff member,” Haq stated, citing a report from Xinhua news agency.
With the conflict in Gaza persisting and inflicting casualties not only on civilians but also on humanitarian workers, the Secretary-General reiterates his urgent plea for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and the release of all hostages, Haq emphasized.
The DSS staff member marked the first international UN personnel casualty in Gaza since October 7, 2023, with nearly 190 Palestinian UN staff members having lost their lives.
As the United Nations proceeds with informing the relevant governments and family members, the names and nationalities of the deceased and injured DSS staffers are being withheld.
Haq noted that the United Nations is actively seeking further details regarding the incident, reiterating that the DSS staffers were engaged in their routine duties of assessing security conditions at various locations.
