NEW YORK: United Nations secretary-general António Guterres has paid tribute to UN staff killed in the Gaza war, reported German news agency (dpa).
"A total of 136 of our colleagues in Gaza have been killed in 75 days – something we have never seen in UN history," Guterres wrote on the online platform X, formerly Twitter, today.
"Most of our staff have been forced from their homes. I pay tribute to them and the thousands of aid workers risking their lives as they support civilians in Gaza," he wrote.
In another post, Guterres once again criticised Israel's actions in the conflict.
"The way Israel is conducting this offensive is creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid inside Gaza," he wrote.
In order to effectively bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, staff who can work in safety are needed, he wrote.
After days of wrangling, the UN Security Council passed a resolution on Friday calling for an increase in humanitarian aid for around two million people in need in the Gaza Strip.
However, the most powerful UN body adopted a compromise text in New York without the demand for an immediate truce that Guterres had hoped for.– BERNAMA-dpa