Those who put themselves at risk to save or help people whose lives are in danger are also at risk. Humanitarian workers, healthcare workers, volunteers, and activists are increasingly falling victim to attacks in war zones.
By Rubén Tzanoff
A Commemoration Full of Contradictions
August 19 marks World Humanitarian Day, a date established by the UN to honor those who risk their lives assisting populations affected by wars, occupations, and disasters. However, dates set by capitalist international organizations—amidst the shifting balance of power among imperialist powers—are not necessarily neutral and can be ambiguous if viewed in isolation from the political context in which they were established.
August 19 was chosen to commemorate the attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003, which occurred during the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Twenty-two people were killed in the attack, including UN Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello. Honoring those who carry out humanitarian work does not mean ignoring the political context and imperialist responsibilities in which these events took place.
For these reasons, we wish to draw attention to humanitarian workers and activists and the difficult circumstances in which they carry out their work.
Attacks on humanitarian aid are not simply isolated “mistakes.” They are a brutal manifestation of conflicts driven by imperialist interests, in which the lives of millions of people are subordinated to military and geopolitical domination.
Palestine and Zionist Barbarism
In Palestine, Israel’s genocidal offensive against Gaza resulted in the highest number of humanitarian personnel casualties ever recorded by the UN in a single conflict.
Hundreds of workers from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), doctors, nurses, paramedics, and volunteers have been killed in bombings or direct attacks while assisting the population. Added to this are attacks on hospitals, ambulances, and aid convoys, along with the blockade preventing the entry of food, medicine, and fuel. The result is a humanitarian catastrophe deliberately inflicting suffering on millions of people as yet another tactic of genocidal warfare, ethnic cleansing, and territorial occupation.
The murder of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in April 2024 showed that not even international organizations that plan their routes in advance are safe.
Nor are those who attempt to break the blockade through civil initiatives safe. The two missions of the Global Sumud Flotilla have been intercepted, hijacked, had their cargo confiscated, and their crew deported for attempting to break the blockade and bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.
According to UN data, since the start of the Israeli offensive on Gaza on October 7, 2023, more than 560 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank.
A dramatization of a true story
The film *The Voice of Hind Rajab*¹ dramatizes the true story of a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped in a car with her family after the vehicle was attacked. Her family died, but she survived. She managed to contact the Palestinian Red Crescent by phone and spent hours speaking with its operators, pleading for help. An ambulance arrived to rescue her, and the two paramedics, Youssef Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun, died during the rescue mission. The bodies of Hind, her relatives, and the two paramedics were found 12 days later, once the area became accessible.
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that the Israeli 162nd Armored Division, which was operating in the area, was responsible for the crimes.
Murderous Occupation in Lebanon
Crimes are also committed in Lebanon. Human Rights Watch documented, for example, the Israeli attack on March 27, 2024, against an emergency and relief center in southern Lebanon, in which humanitarian workers were killed.
The Emergency Operations Center of Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reported today that an Israeli drone attack in the city of Nabatieh left two people injured. The attack consisted of two separate strikes; the second targeted the Al-Risala Association’s ambulance crew, which had arrived to rescue the injured, and damaged the vehicle.
In the face of the Zionist entity’s aggression, the “Campaign to Confront the Occupation and Normalization in Lebanon” must be highlighted as a unified platform for protest and struggle.
Ukraine: Humanitarian Aid Amid the Bombing
Ukraine is also worth mentioning. Since the Russian imperialist invasion began in February 2022, 38 aid workers have been killed.
Humanitarian organizations have reported attacks on hospitals, ambulances, medical centers, and aid convoys. International aid workers and volunteers who were evacuating civilians or distributing aid have been killed in Russian airstrikes.
At the same time, the destruction of essential infrastructure is making it increasingly difficult for the population to access food, medical care, and basic services.
Convoy to Kyiv
Standing up for those who organize and provide humanitarian aid—whether they are workers or activists—supporting independent solidarity organizations, and strengthening international networks of mutual support among the working class and the people are also part of the struggle against wars of aggression, occupations, and all forms of imperialist oppression.
In this regard, we commend the political and humanitarian commitment of the “International Solidarity Convoy to Ukraine, ” in which we will participate. Its mission will take place during the second half of November, when it will depart from various locations across the European Union bound for Kyiv.
1. *The Voice of Hind Rajab*, directed and written by Kaouther Ben Hania, winner of several international awards.
You may also be interested in: “Ukraine: Five Years of War and Resistance”
