Deadly Israeli attack on Gaza school draws worldwide condemnation

Israel faced international criticism on Thursday after 18 people were killed in an attack on a school converted into a shelter for displaced Palestinians in war-torn Gaza. The Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas militants.

In the attack on Wednesday, part of the UN-run Al-Jawni school in Nuseirat was razed to the ground, leaving only a charred pile of rebar and concrete.

“For the fifth time, Israeli forces bombed the Al-Jawni school run by UNRWA, killing 18 citizens,” Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense, wrote on Telegram, referring to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA later announced that six of its staff had been killed in two Israeli attacks on the school and its surroundings, marking the highest death toll among its team in a single incident.

“Among those killed were the head of the UNRWA shelter and other team members who were providing assistance to the displaced,” X said. “Schools and other civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times; they are not targets for attack.”

The Israeli military said it had carried out a “precise strike” against Hamas militias on the school premises. It did not specify the outcome but said “numerous steps” had been taken to reduce the risk to civilians.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the attack as “completely unacceptable”.

Israel's ally Germany also joined in his condemnation, stating that “humanitarian aid workers should never become victims of rockets.”

Jordan and the European Union also criticized the attack, while Israel's main backer, the United States, called on the country to protect humanitarian facilities.

– EU outrage –

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was “outraged” by the deaths and that the attacks showed a “disregard for the fundamental principles” of international humanitarian law.

US Secretary of State Blinken said: “We need to ensure that humanitarian sites are protected, and that is something we continue to raise with Israel.”

Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said UNRWA had not released the names of the killed staff “despite repeated requests.”

He said a military investigation had found that “a significant number of the names (of the dead) that have appeared in the media and social networks are those of terrorist Hamas members.”

UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma said in her response that the agency was “not aware of any such requests.” It provides Israel with a list of its staff every year and “repeatedly calls” on Israel and Palestinian militants “never to use civilian facilities for military or combat purposes.”

She said the agency was “unable to determine” whether the school had been used by Hamas for military purposes, but UNRWA had “repeatedly called for independent investigations” into these “very serious allegations.”

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said the school was “no longer a school” and had become “a legitimate target” because it was used by Hamas for attacks.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which coordinates almost all aid to the Gaza Strip, has been in crisis since Israel accused a dozen of its 30,000 staff of involvement in the October 7 Hamas attacks that sparked the war.

The UN immediately dismissed the staff members concerned and an investigation revealed some “neutrality-related issues,” but stressed that Israel had not provided any evidence for its main allegations.

– “Going through hell” –

Survivors of the attack desperately tried to recover bodies and belongings from the rubble, reporting having to step over “shattered limbs.”

“I can hardly stand,” a man holding a plastic bag containing human remains told AFP.

“We have been going through hell for 340 days now. What we have seen in these days, we have not even seen in Hollywood movies, now we see it in Gaza.”

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said after the school strike that at least 220 of the agency's employees had been killed in the war.

“Endless and senseless killing, day after day,” he posted on X.

“Humanitarian personnel, facilities and operations have been blatantly and unabatedly disregarded since the beginning of the war.”

Across the Gaza Strip, numerous school buildings have been converted and used to house displaced families. The vast majority of the area's 2.4 million residents have been displaced multiple times by the war.

– No ceasefire breach –

In Gaza City, civil defense spokesman Bassal said seven people, including two children, were killed in two attacks in the Zeitun district.

He later said two people were killed in Jabalia camp, while medical sources said five people were killed in attacks in the Khan Yunis area.

Despite months of ceasefire negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, there is no end to the bloodshed in sight.

A Hamas delegation met with Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Doha on Wednesday, the Palestinian Islamists said. However, there are no signs of a breakthrough.

The October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel killed 1,205 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.

The deaths included in this figure also included hostages killed in captivity.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 41,118 people have been killed in Israel's retaliatory strikes. The UN human rights office says most of the dead are women and children.

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