The government’s rhetoric in response to the death of the Australian aid worker is stronger than we’d previously seen, but in a conflict with no clear solutions, little will change.
Palestinians stand near a World Central Kitchen vehicle on April 2, 2024, after three aid vehicles were targeted by Israeli strikes.
Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Aid workers used to be considered off-limits in conflicts. The deaths of 7 aid workers in Gaza show that’s not the case anymore. Attacks on aid workers are on the rise.
People unload boxes of medicine from a truck at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 23, 2023.
(AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)
Aid workers consistently face a host of moral challenges and often have to make difficult choices. Organizations need to be aware of the mental impact on their staff and provide support.
Russia has used similar tactics in both countries, including bombings that flatten homes, schools, hospitals and key infrastructure. The humanitarian needs are vast.
International Committee of the Red Cross workers prepare bags with bodies of government soldiers to be handed over in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, in 2015.
AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov