‘No evidence' to support Israeli claims of Hamas involvement at school attacked in Gaza: UN

​​​​​​​By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN affirmed Thursday that there is no evidence supporting Israeli claims of UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) facilities being housed by Hamas.

"We have no evidence," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question about Israel's claims of the Palestinian resistance group’s involvement at the UNRWA-run al-Jaouni School, where 12,000 displaced Gazans have sheltered.

At least six staff members from UNRWA were among the 18 victims killed Wednesday in an Israeli strike, including the manager of the UNRWA shelter in the area.

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," said Dujarric, and the UN has contacted the "highest levels of the Israeli government" to express concerns about staff safety and operational challenges.

Israeli envoy to the UN, Danny Dannon, accused the UNRWA staff killed in the attack of being a "terrorist" group.

In response, Dujarric said "We're not in a position to confirm it, to deny it. Our focus is on humanitarian health."

Emphasizing that all parties should refrain from using civilian sites to launch or target attacks, Dujarric stressed that the school is a shelter run by UNRWA and "if anyone is misusing it, we would know."