By Deutsche Welle
06 Jun 2024, 18:22 PM EDT
The Israeli bombing against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) school in Nuseirat, in central Gaza, in which about 40 people died, occurred “without prior warning,” it denounced this Thursday, June 6 Philippe Lazzarini, director of the institution, on the social network
“The school was sheltering 6,000 displaced people when it was attacked. Claims that armed groups were in the shelter are shocking. In any case, we are unable to verify such claims,” Lazzarini wrote.
Children and women among the dead
Some 40 people died in the attacks – 14 of them children and 9 women – according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas – a group considered terrorist by the U -, and 74 were injured.
According to Israel, the school was home to between 20 and 30 Hamas terrorists who participated in the October 7 attacks, and they attacked the school minimizing “the risk of injuring uninvolved civilians.”
“Fighter jets carried out a precise attack on a Hamas base located inside a UNRWA school in the Nuseirat area,” the Israeli military said.
180 buildings have been attacked
Since the start of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip eight months ago, more than 180 UNRWA buildings, mostly schools converted into shelters, have been attacked. “The result has been the death of more than 450 displaced people in those facilities,” the United Nations agency reported in the statement.
For his part, the entity’s commissioner pointed out that “targeting United Nations facilities or using them for military purposes cannot be the new norm,” as well as attacking them “is a flagrant violation of International Law.”
Borrell calls for investigation
According to Gaza authorities, since October 7, 36,650 people have lost their lives and another 83,300 have been injured.
For his part, the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, called for an independent investigation into the Israeli bombing.
“This appalling news must be independently investigated, in accordance with the latest order of the International Court of Justice” (ICJ, the highest judicial body of the UN), Borrell noted in X.
Keep reading:
- Israeli attacks in central Gaza leave at least 62 dead
- US, Egypt and Qatar issue request for ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
- Israel is accused of killing several people after bombings against Syria