Israel’s war on aid workers
Polygraph | Newsletter n°298 | 4 Apr 2025
IN THIS NEWSLETTER: Analyzing Israel’s systematic targeting of humanitarian workers in Gaza and beyond.
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Situation
From the Guardian’s article:
“Seven days ago, civil defence and PRCS ambulances arrived at the scene,” the head of Ocha in Palestine, Jonathan Whittall, said in a video statement. “One by one, [the paramedics and civil defense workers] were hit, they were struck. Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave. We’re digging them out in their uniforms, with their gloves on. They were here to save lives. Instead, they ended up in a mass grave,” Whittall said.
If this incident generates enough public backlash, Israel will claim without credible evidence that the aid workers were armed militants. For now, its excuse is that the ambulances were “advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops,” and that, per the Guardian, “the movement of the [ambulances] had not been coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in advance.”
But the Israeli military stopped acknowledging notifications through the Humanitarian Notification System — the process by which aid workers alert warring parties of their intended movements so they don’t get shot at — during the ceasefire. Israel’s intent with this move was clear: deny Palestinians lifesaving aid by making the risk of carrying out humanitarian operations too high. And it worked. Save The Children, for example, scaled back its operations in Gaza by 80% after Israel withdrew from the system.
The Israeli military’s systematic killing of aid workers serves the same objective. Per a former colleague of mine in the humanitarian sector: “The targeting of healthcare workers is deliberate. Israel wants to diminish the aid response capacity so organizations of their own accord stop working. See also: making conditions so intolerable that Palestinians self-deport.” (This might sound familiar.)
There is plenty of forensic evidence to support these comments, and the numbers on humanitarian worker deaths speak for themselves.
Data
Since October 2023, I estimate that Israel has killed about twice as many aid workers (426) as the rest of the world combined, according to my analysis of data from the Aid Worker Security Database, cross-referenced with media and other reports.1 During this stretch, Israel killed humanitarian workers in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Yemen — and injured at least 3 aid workers in Syria, in addition to the 164 it wounded elsewhere from Oct 2023 – Apr 2025.
Share the following chart on social media and you’ll likely get a comment along the lines of: “aid workers = terrorists.” Parroting an apartheid state’s genocidal logic — one that turns international law and morality on its head — is certainly a choice. One that the commentator had plenty of time to think about, as they painstakingly mashed their sweaty, clunky inbred fingers onto the keyboard to churn out that vile remark. Would’ve been easier for them to just keep quiet.
^Alt text for screen readers: Over 640 aid workers have been killed since 2023. Israel killed two-thirds of them. This two-part, single column chart shows 426 aid workers killed by Israel and 217 killed by all other actors combined since October 2023. Data: Aid Worker Security Database, accessed 4 April 2025.
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Abe B., Alan F., Amin, Andrew R., AT., BartB., BeepBoop, Ben, Ben C.,* Bill S., Bob N., Brett S., Byron D., Chris, Chris G., Cole H., D. Kepler, Daniel M., David J., David S.,* David V.,* David M., Elizabeth R., Errol S., Foundart, Francis M., Frank R., Gary W., Gladwyn S., Graham P., Griffin R., Hunter S., Irene B., Isaac, Isaac L., Jacob, James H., James N., Jcowens, Jeff, Jennifer, Jennifer J., Jessica S., Jerry S., Joe R., John, John, John A., John K., John M., Jonathan S., Joseph B., Joshua R., Julia G., Katrina H., Kheng L., Lea S., Leah A., Leila CL., Linda B., Linda H., Lindsay, Lindsay S.,* Lora L., Mapraputa, Marie R., Mark L., Mary Z., Marty, Matthew H.,* Megan., Melanie B., Michael S., Mitchell P., Nick B., Noah K., Norbert H., Omar A., Omar D.,* Peter M., Phil, Philip L., Rosemary K., Sari G., Scarlet, Scott H., Silversurfer, Soh, Springseep, Stan C., TBE, Teddie G., Theresa A., Themadking, Tim C., Timbuk T., Tony L., Tony T., Victor S., Wayne H., William P.
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-Stephen (Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Bluesky)
Methodology: The AWSD identifies a specific actor (the perpetrator of the attack) for most of its entries. When a reported case was still under review or lacked a named aggressor in Palestine, Lebanon, or Syria, I cross-referenced it with media reports and other available evidence to attribute responsibility. For example, if the cause of death was aerial bombardment in Gaza, one can reasonably presume Israel was responsible. But the same presumption wouldn’t apply in Syria, where the Syrian and Russian air forces were also operating. I also attributed two aid worker deaths caused by looters to Israel, as Israel actively facilitates looting and is bound by international law to prevent it.