The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) has reported that six of its staff members were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school it operates in central Gaza. The al-Jaouni school, located in the Nuseirat refugee camp, was sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians when the attack occurred.
Gaza’s Civil Defence agency, managed by Hamas, confirmed that a total of 18 people lost their lives in the airstrike on Wednesday. The school had been serving as a refuge for many Palestinians seeking safety amidst ongoing conflict.
Israel’s military said it carried out a “precise strike on terrorists” planning attacks from the school, and that it had taken measures to avoid harm to civilians.
UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the strike, saying: “What’s happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable.”
“These dramatic violations of international humanitarian law need to stop now,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Unrwa said the attack marked “the highest death toll among our staff in a single incident” since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October.
It also noted that it was the fifth time the school had been hit over the past 11 months.
In July, 16 people were reportedly killed in a strike which the Israeli military said had targeted several structures at the school used by Hamas fighters.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, hit out at Guterres’ criticism.
“It is unconscionable that the UN continues to condemn Israel in its just war against terrorists, while Hamas continues to use women and children as human shields,” he said.
Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the UK, and several other nations, has denied allegations of using schools and civilian areas for military activities.
Israeli forces initiated a military campaign against Hamas following the group’s large-scale assault on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 individuals who were taken into Gaza as hostages.
Since the conflict began, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has reported over 41,080 casualties in the territory.
SOURCE: BBC
Join our WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakDz4u9RZATWh53yC1a
