By Merve Aydogan
HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN reported Thursday that Israeli airstrikes targeted at least six UN-run schools sheltering displaced Palestinians as it highlighted the continued devastation in the Gaza Strip.
Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who cited the UN's Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said at a news conference that the UN is "very concerned about the toll of repeated airstrikes on shelters for displaced people on the Strip."
"In recent days, at least six schools serving as shelters for displaced people have been struck," by Israeli airstrikes, he said.
He further stressed the need to comply with international humanitarian law and urged the protection of civilians.
Noting that UN partners "screened more than 24,000 children in Gaza for malnutrition last month," Dujarric said, "Of all screened children, nearly 22,000 have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition."
"In September, nearly 50,000 children under the age of five, as well as more than 18,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women, received supplementary feeding," he added.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza following an attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Nearly 41,800 victims have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 96,700 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 at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.