Gaza, September 12, 2024 – The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported that six of its employees were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school in central Gaza. The al-Jaouni school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, which had been sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians, was struck, killing a total of 18 people, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.
Israel’s military stated the strike targeted “terrorists planning attacks” from the school, asserting that efforts were made to minimize civilian casualties.
UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the strike, calling the situation in Gaza “completely unacceptable” and urged an immediate halt to the violations of international humanitarian law.
UNRWA highlighted that this incident marked “the highest death toll among our staff in a single strike” since the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated in October last year. The school has reportedly been hit five times in the past 11 months.
In a similar incident in July, 16 people were killed in a strike that Israel claimed targeted Hamas fighters using the school’s facilities.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, over 41,080 people have been killed in Gaza since the onset of Israeli attacks last year.
