On Wednesday, Israeli forces targeted a school sheltering displaced people in the Nuseirat camp, where at least 18 Palestinians were killed. This school had already been hit in previous bombings.
The United Nations spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, refuted on Thursday Israeli claims that Al-Jaouni School of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) facilities are being housed by the Palestinian movement Hamas, Anadolu news agency reported.
When asked about Israel’s claims of Hamas’ involvement at the UNRWA-run Al-Jaouni School, where six UNRWA staff members were killed along with 12 others in an Israeli strike, the UN spokesman simply stated that they “have no evidence.”
The UN is “working as hard as we can to keep the balance between keeping our staff safe and delivering the humanitarian aid that civilians so desperately need in Gaza,” he added.
Dujarric revealed that the UN has established contact with the “highest levels of the Israeli government” to express the international organization’s “concerns about staff safety and operational challenges.”
The #nuseirat refugee camp in central #Gaza is familiar to the habitual Israeli massacres since the start of the genocidal war on October 7.
The Al-Jaouni School, however, is one of the most frequently targeted ‘safe zones’.
Palestine Chronicle examines what has taken place in… pic.twitter.com/lJUIeCFwAq
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) September 13, 2024
World Condemnations
On Wednesday, Israeli forces targeted a school sheltering displaced people in the Nuseirat camp, where at least 18 Palestinians were killed. This school had already been hit in previous bombings. UNRWA confirmed that six of its staff members were killed in the shelling.
In response, UNRWA expressed deep concern over the relentless and senseless killings in Gaza, noting that at least 220 of its employees have died since the conflict began.
The agency’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, said that Gaza is witnessing endless, senseless violence and warned that the longer impunity continues, the more international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions lose their significance.
UNICEF also condemned the attack, expressing sympathy for the victims’ families and confirming reports that at least two children were killed. The organization reiterated its call for a ceasefire and an end to the ongoing horror in Gaza.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the situation in Gaza as “completely unacceptable,” highlighting severe violations of humanitarian law and the lack of civilian protection. He also stressed that the impunity surrounding the killing of UN staff and aid workers is unacceptable.
16 Killed in Israel’s Bombing of UNRWA School – Hamas Calls for International Condemnation
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed his grief, saying that words cannot capture the horror and pain of the loss of life in Gaza. He noted that hospitals, schools, and shelters have been repeatedly bombed, with civilians and humanitarian workers among the casualties. He called for an end to the massacre in Gaza.
The Irish Foreign Minister also condemned the deaths of the six UNRWA workers, emphasizing that humanitarian staff face exceptional risks to help those in need.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry described the attack as further evidence of Israel’s criminal actions and disregard for international humanitarian law. Qatar called for an international investigation into Israel’s continued targeting of schools and shelters.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry also condemned the bombing, asserting that Israel’s continued violations of international and humanitarian law are a result of the absence of decisive action to end the aggression against Gaza.
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 41,118 Palestinians have been killed, and 95,125 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, MEMO)
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