Israeli airstrike on school in Gaza 'another tragedy': UN relief chief

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) – UN relief chief on Thursday voiced concern over Israel's airstrike on a UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) school-turned-shelter in the Gaza Strip that killed dozens of displaced people.

"Yet another tragedy proving there is nowhere safe for civilians in Gaza. The rules of war must be respected. Civilians must be protected," Martin Griffiths said on X.

"States must use their leverage: Diplomatic and economic pressure, conditioning arms exports, and cooperation in fighting impunity," he added.

His remarks came after Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA head said on Thursday that the Israeli strike killed 35 people and left "many more injured" when it struck the facility without any prior warning to the thousands of people who were sheltering there.

The Israeli military admitted hitting the UNRWA school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, claiming Hamas fighters were hiding inside.

Nearly 200 UN staffers – exactly 192 – have been killed in Gaza, according to the latest information provided by UNRWA. A further 186 agency facilities have been damaged.

Israel has mounted its sweeping offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 36,600 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 83,000 others injured, according to local health authorities. Vast tracts of Gaza also lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.