Six employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were killed in an Israeli air strike on a school in central Gaza, the agency confirmed. The school, located in the Nuseirat refugee camp, was serving as a shelter for thousands of displaced Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence agency, a total of 18 people were killed in the strike on al-Jaouni school, which took place on Wednesday. Israel’s military stated that the strike targeted “terrorists” who were planning attacks from within the school, adding that efforts had been made to minimise harm to civilians.
UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the air strike, calling the situation in Gaza “totally unacceptable” and urging an immediate halt to the violations of international humanitarian law. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Guterres said: “These dramatic violations of international humanitarian law need to stop now.”
UNRWA expressed deep sorrow over the deaths, highlighting that this incident marked “the highest death toll among our staff in a single incident” since the war began in October. The agency also noted that al-Jaouni school has been struck five times over the past 11 months.