UN agency for Palestine refugees reports six staff killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza school

Six employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school in central Gaza, the agency has reported. The al-Jaouni school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, which shelters thousands of displaced Palestinians, was struck on Wednesday (12 Sept). Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence agency reported a total of 18 deaths in the attack. Among those killed were the manager of the UNRWA shelter and other team members who were assisting displaced people. The UNRWA stated that this was the highest single-incident death toll among its staff since the conflict began and revealed that this was the fifth time the school had been hit since the start of the war. The school is home to approximately 12,000 displaced individuals, mainly women and children. Since the beginning of the assault on 7 October, at least 220 UNRWA staff members have been killed in Gaza. In response to the attack, the UNRWA condemned the strike, stating, "No one is safe in Gaza. No one is spared." The agency emphasized the need to protect schools and other civilian infrastructure, declaring, "They are not a target," and reiterated its call for all parties to refrain from using schools or their surroundings for military purposes.

Israel’s military acknowledged responsibility for the airstrike, claiming it was a “precise strike on terrorists” who were allegedly operating from the school. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that the strike targeted a Hamas command and control center embedded within the school. The IDF also claimed that steps had been taken to minimize civilian harm, including using precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence gathering. The IDF accused Hamas of systematically using civilian infrastructure for military purposes, in violation of international law. They alleged that nine of those killed were members of Hamas's armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, including three who also worked for the UNRWA. Israel called on the UNRWA to provide details of the workers killed in the strike, claiming no response had been given. In response, UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma stated that the Israeli military had not requested a list of the staff who were killed. She also noted that the names published by the Israeli military had not previously been flagged to the agency by Israeli authorities. Touma reiterated that UNRWA regularly shares staff lists with host governments, including Israel as the occupying power in Gaza. Touma further emphasized that UNRWA had consistently called for independent investigations into claims that civilian infrastructure was being used for military purposes. She said the agency could not independently verify whether the school was being used by Hamas. UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the airstrike, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law. "What’s happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (12 Sept). Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected Guterres’ remarks, defending Israel’s actions as part of a "just war against terrorism." The escalation of violence follows Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October, which left approximately 1,200 people dead and led to the abduction of 251 Israelis who were taken to Gaza as hostages. Since the conflict began, more than 41,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including nearly 16,500 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.