99 U.N. Staff Members Killed in Gaza Conflict as Thousands Flee with White Flags

The United Nations has confirmed that 99 of their staff members have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict between Hamas and Israel on October 7th. Israeli Defense Forces have reported that Hamas has been using U.N. facilities to house and launch weapons, putting U.N. staff and other civilians at greater risk.

In response to the intensifying Israeli assault, thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza have decided to flee, many of them carrying white flags in an attempt to avoid being attacked. Videos verified by NBC News show Palestinians with their hands up as they pass bombed-out buildings and Israeli tanks.

The U.N.’s Palestinian refugee relief agency, UNRWA, has more than 13,000 staff in Gaza running schools, health clinics and other services. Many of these staff members have joined the exodus to southern Gaza, as well as the thousands of civilians who are fleeing the conflict.

The use of civilians as human shields by Hamas has been confirmed during the last major conflict in 2014, but the use of U.N. facilities to house and launch weapons has increased over the last eight years. The U.N. has condemned the use of civilians as human shields and has called for an immediate end to the violence in Gaza.