EU foreign policy chief 'outraged' by killing of UNRWA staffers in Israeli strike on school in Gaza

By Nur Asena Erturk

The EU foreign policy chief expressed on Thursday his outrage after the killing of six humanitarian workers by Israeli airstrikes on a UN-run school in Gaza.

At least 18 people were killed in two Israeli strikes on al-Jaouni School, where around 12,000 displaced civilians have sheltered, in the Nuseirat refugee camp on Wednesday, according to local health authorities.

At least six staff members of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) were among the victims, including the manager of the UNRWA shelter in the area.

Josep Borrell recalled on X that Israel hit “for the 5th time” a school in Nuseirat, sheltering displaced people.

He stressed that the “disregard of the basic principles” of international humanitarian law, “especially protection of civilians, cannot & should not be accepted” by the international community.

Israel has systematically targeted civilian facilities, including schools, hospitals, and places of worship, amid its ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Under the rules of war, targeting such civilian facilities can constitute a war crime.

Last month, at least 100 people were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli strike on the Al-Taba’een School in Gaza City, where over 6,000 displaced people have sheltered.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last October despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 41,100 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,100 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.