By Alyssa McMurtry
OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spain on Wednesday condemned the killing of 15 humanitarian workers whose bodies were discovered in a mass grave in the Gaza Strip.
According to the UN, Israeli forces killed eight clearly identified aid workers from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, six from the Palestinian Civil Defense and one from the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) earlier this month.
In a statement, Madrid called for a full investigation into the killings and demanded justice, accountability and reparations for the victims and their families.
“International humanitarian law must be respected in all contexts,” the statement said.
The Spanish government extended its condemnation to other recent attacks on humanitarian and UN personnel in the enclave.
According to UNRWA, 408 aid workers – including more than 280 UNRWA staff – have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk said in a statement that the discovery of the bodies buried next to their "clearly destroyed" vehicles was "deeply disturbing."
“This raises significant questions with regard to the conduct of the Israeli army during and in the aftermath of the incident,” he said.
Despite a demand for “answers and justice” from UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, no information has yet been provided by Israel, his office said Tuesday.
More than 50,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the war began.