Israel bombs UN school killing 18, including six UN staff

• Israel bombs UN school killing 18, including six UN staff
• The al-Jaouni school in the Nuseirat refugee camp shelters thousands of displaced Palestinians
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the strike

Israel bombs UN school killing 18, including six UN staff

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has reported that six of its staff members were killed in an Israeli air strike on a school it operates in central Gaza. The al-Jaouni school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, which shelters thousands of displaced Palestinians, was hit during the attack.

Gaza Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal says that 18 people died in the strike. The Israeli military said it carried out a “precise strike on terrorists” planning attacks from the school, and claimed it took precautions to avoid civilian casualties.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the strike, calling it a “dramatic violation of international humanitarian law” in a post on X. UNRWA noted that this was the deadliest incident involving its staff since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October and added that it was the fifth time the school had been targeted in the past year.

In July, another air strike reportedly killed 16 people at the school. The Israeli military said the target had been structures used by Hamas fighters, but Hamas has consistently denied using civilian locations for military purposes.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected Guterres’ criticism, stating it was “unconscionable” for the UN to condemn Israel’s actions in its fight against terrorists.