United Nations, Apr 12 (IANS): The UN Security Council has voiced grave concern over Israel's killing of seven aid workers of the World Central Kitchen in Gaza.

A press statement said on Thursday that these horrific attacks brought the number of humanitarian personnel killed in Gaza during the ongoing conflict to at least 224, more than three times as many humanitarian aid workers killed in any single conflict recorded in a single year, Xinhua news agency reported.

The council members stressed the need for accountability for all of these incidents and noted that Israel has announced the initial results of an investigation into the incident, stressing the need for a full, transparent and comprehensive investigation into the incident that is fully publicised.

The council members also demanded that all parties to the conflict fully respect the protected status of humanitarian workers, facilities, and operations under international law, abide by humanitarian notification and deconfliction mechanisms, and immediately fix any deficiencies in these mechanisms.

They reiterated their deep concern over the human toll of the conflict, the catastrophic humanitarian situation, and the threat of imminent famine in Gaza, and called for the immediate lifting of all barriers to the delivery of humanitarian aid at scale to the civilian population and to the unhindered distribution of such assistance.