The Israeli army has shelled a school housing displaced Palestinians in central Gaza, killing at least 18 people, including six staff members of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
Wednesday's attack that destroyed part of the UN-run facility in the Nuseirat refugee camp was condemned by several countries and UN agencies.
Some 12,000 displaced Palestinians, most of them women and children, were sheltering in Al-Jaouni, according to UNRWA, when Israeli forces carried out two airstrikes on the building.
“Senseless and endless killings continue, day after day,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. “Since the beginning of the war, there has been a flagrant and relentless disregard for humanitarian personnel, facilities and operations.”
The deaths of six staff members bring the number of UNRWA employees killed in Gaza to at least 220.
Palestinian Civil Defense spokesman in Gaza Mahmoud Basal posted on the messaging app Telegram that the school was bombed for the fifth time and more than 18 people were injured.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, said that “the carnage in Gaza must end.”
“There are no words that can reflect the true horror and loss of life in Gaza,” he wrote in X. “Hospitals, schools and shelters have been repeatedly bombed, resulting in the deaths of civilians and humanitarian workers.”
Many school buildings have been repurposed to house displaced families in the besieged Gaza Strip, as most of the enclave's 2.4 million people have been repeatedly uprooted by war.
Israeli forces have attacked several such schools in recent months, alleging that Hamas operates from such locations and hides among civilians. The Palestinian group has denied the accusations.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it had carried out a “precision strike” against a Hamas command and control centre in the Al Jaouni compound. It gave no further details about the outcome, but said “numerous measures” had been taken to reduce the risk to civilians.
