DRC mourns four partner colleagues killed in Gaza and extends heartfelt condolences to their families. We call for a ceasefire and safe humanitarian access.
Posted on 16 Jul 2025
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is devastated and outraged by the killing of humanitarian workers in Gaza with over 100 killed this year and 479 total since October 2023. Among those, four are colleagues who worked for our partners. These colleagues worked with two of DRC’s local partner organizations, the Palestinian Agricultural Development Association (PARC) and Fares Al Arab for Development (FAFD).
Ahmed Saad 23/10/1997-27/6/2025
Ahmed Hassan Ali Saad was just 27 years old when an Israeli airstrike struck his family home in Gaza City on June 27, 2025. He worked with PARC as a Field Supervisor and served as the organisation’s Media Coordinator. He was killed alongside two of his brothers and six other members of his extended family.
Batoul Abu Samra 12/08/1998-01/07/2025
Batoul Mohammed Mohammed Abu Samra was 26 years old when she was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 1, 2025. She worked as a Helpdesk Officer with PARC. On the day of the airstrike, Batoul lost nearly all her entire family was also killed, including her parents, four sisters, two brothers and at least 38 other relatives; 15 of whom remain under the rubble.
Haitham Jouma 02/12/1987-06/03/2025
Haitham Jaber Ismail Jouma, 37, was a Project Worker with PARC. He was killed on March 6, 2025. His death left a deep impact on his team and the community he worked so hard to uplift.
Any targeting of civilians, civilian infrastructure and aid workers is a violation of international humanitarian law. The ongoing horrors unfolding in Gaza will only drag the world deeper into darkness. This must be the last wake-up call for peaceful humans around the world to use every means at their disposal to stop this devastating war. We urgently call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid to save those who are starving - before we reach a point of no return.
/ Hassan Mahareeq - Director of L&A Department, PARC
Mona Joudeh 30/09/2004 - 30/06/2025
Mona Jouda was a dedicated humanitarian worker at FAFD. Mona was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Baqa Cafe, a busy beachfront cafe which claimed the lives of at least 24 others. Mona is added to the growing list of humanitarian staff in Gaza who have lost their lives to airstrikes in Gaza.
We mourn the loss of our colleague Mona and demand full protection of all civilians. Civilians, including those working as humanitarian aid workers, are not a target of war.
/ Zohair Madi - CEO, FAFD
These killings occurred amid Israel’s ongoing, indiscriminate military offensive and a 129-day expanded and total blockade that has decimated Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, starved its population and made humanitarian operations nearly impossible.
The killing of Ahmed, Batoul, Haitham and Mona is not an accident. It is the result of a systematic targeting of civilians, including humanitarian workers. The international community must no longer turn a blind eye to this impunity. We all have the duty to remember and continue calling for accountability to the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers.
/ Giulia Canali – Interim Head of Operations, DRC oPt
DRC demands protection of all civilians and the halting of bombardments on civilian lives. The world cannot continue to allow Palestinians to be collateral damage. There must be accountability.
We extend our deepest condolences to the families, colleagues and communities mourning Ahmed, Batoul, Haitham, and Mona. Their deaths should not be in vain. We must honor their lives not only by saying their names, but by continuing to call out the brutality that ended them.
