UNRWA Confirms 18 Killed, Including 6 Staffers, in “Israeli” Airstrike on Gaza School

By Staff, Agencies

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees [UNRWA] confirmed that six of its employees were among the 18 people killed in a recent “Israeli” airstrike on a UN-run school in the central Gaza Strip.

In a statement released Thursday, UNRWA reported that the “Israeli” air assault on Al-Jaouni school, located in the Nuseirat refugee camp, marked "the highest death toll among our staff in a single incident” since the ongoing “Israeli” aggression against Gaza began more than 11 months ago.

"Among those killed was the shelter's manager and other team members assisting displaced people," the statement noted.

The school had been serving as a refuge for approximately 12,000 displaced Palestinians, predominantly women and children, and had been struck five times since the onset of the conflict.

“No one is safe in Gaza. No one is spared,” UNRWA emphasized. “Schools and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times; they are not military targets.”

UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini condemned the repeated attacks on humanitarian workers and facilities. “Humanitarian staff, premises, and operations have been blatantly and unabatedly disregarded since the beginning of the war,” he said. Lazzarini also revealed that at least 220 UNRWA employees have been killed during the ongoing “Israeli” offensive.

The “Israeli” military claimed the school had been used by Hamas members to plan and execute attacks. However, a survivor contradicted the military’s assertion, stating that the section of the school hit by the airstrike had been "dedicated solely to women."

One witness recounted the horror of the attack: “All of a sudden, there was a massive explosion… Women and children were blown to pieces. We rushed to find our children, but they were torn apart,” he told Al-Jazeera.

Another survivor expressed her devastation after losing all six of her children in the attack, lamenting, “What crime did those innocent children commit?”

The airstrike is part of the ongoing “Israeli” offensive, which began on October 7, 2023, following a historic operation by Hamas in retaliation for increasing “Israeli” atrocities against Palestinians.

So far, the “Israeli” entity has martyred at least 41,084 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 95,000 others.