HRC 62 – Written statement on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 62st Session 

Written Statement by Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) 

Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions 

18 June 2026 

Mr. President, Excellencies,  

Legal Action Worldwide thanks the Special Rapporteur for his important work addressing unlawful killings and the persistent crisis of impunity. 

Across conflicts, globally, humanitarian personnel too often suffer the consequences of war, sometimes by being deliberately targeted. Legal Action Worldwide provides legal assistance to organisations, people and their families, who have been impacted. We are alarmed by repeated violation of international law through the shocking pattern of killings of aid workers and medical personnel by the State of Israel in Lebanon, as well as in Gaza and in the West Bank.  

As the Special Rapporteur notes in his report on his visit to Lebanon, survivors suffer long-term physical and psychological consequences that are compounded by challenges asserting their rights to truth, justice and reparation.  

Beyond the immediate loss of life, these killings produce devastating reverberating effects on civilian populations. Communities lose access to humanitarian assistance, medical care, food distribution, and protection services. In many contexts, attacks on aid workers contribute directly to forced displacement, starvation, diseases, and crimes against humanity.  

In 2025, at least 326 humanitarians were recorded as killed across 21 countries, bringing the total number of humanitarians killed in three years to over 1,010. Of those over 1,000 deaths, more than 560 were killed by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank.  

Despite the unprecedented scale of killings of humanitarian personnel in recent conflicts, accountability remains exceptionally rare. Independent investigations are often delayed, obstructed, or entirely absent. 

Mr. President, Special Rapporteur, 

What concrete measures should States and international institutions adopt to strengthen accountability pathways for unlawful killings of humanitarian personnel and ensure effective remedies for victims and affected communities? 

Thank you.