Gaza: According to a statement from the UN, Israeli strike on Gaza school has killed six UNRWA staff members. The al-Jaouni school in Nuseirat refugee camp was being used as protection for thousands of displaced Palestinians.
As per the report of Gaza’s Civil Defence agency, 18 people were killed in total during the strike, including women and children, while 18 others were wounded.
Israel’s military said the airstrike targeted a Hamas command centre operating from the school and highlighted that precautions were taken to reduce harm to civilians. In contrast, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law, and commanded an immediate halt to the violence.
UNRWA confirmed that this incident marked the highest single-incident death toll among its staff since the outbreak of the fight in October. The agency also expressed that this was the fifth time the school had been struck in the last 11 months. In July, a previous strike killed 16 people, which Israel had claimed targeted Hamas fighters using the school.
Israel has accused Hamas of using civilian structures like schools for military purposes, a claim Hamas has repeatedly denied. Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, raised his voice to Guterres’ condemnation, accusing the UN of failing to acknowledge Hamas’ use of human shields. Meanwhile, UNRWA reiterated that schools and other civilian infrastructure should never be used for military purposes and must be protected.
This strike is part of a continued conflict that began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking hostages. Since then, over 41,000 people have died in Gaza, according to its Hamas-run health ministry. Israel continues its military campaign, stating its goal is to dismantle Hamas.
UNRWA reports that 70% of its schools in Gaza have been struck since the start of the war, with hundreds of its staff members killed. The agency has dismissed accusations that it supports Hamas, though it recently made a knife attack on several staff members suspected of involvement in the October 7 attack. Israel continues to allege that many UNRWA employees are affiliated with terrorist organizations, and claims that a UN review found it to lack sufficient evidence.
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