6 UNRWA staff killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza shelter

New Delhi, Sep 12: Six staff members from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were killed on Wednesday after two Israeli airstrikes targeted a school-turned-shelter in Gaza, UN officials confirmed.

The facility, located in Nuseirat, housed around 12,000 displaced people, mostly women and children. According to UNRWA, this is the highest number of staff fatalities in a single incident since the conflict began.

The UN agency shared the news on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, noting that the shelter manager and other team members were among those killed. Media reports indicate that at least 34 people lost their lives in the strikes.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attacks, calling the violence in Gaza “totally unacceptable.” He emphasised the need for immediate action, stating, “These dramatic violations of international humanitarian law need to stop now.”

The UNRWA school has been hit five times since the conflict began 11 months ago. Earlier on Wednesday, the UN had confirmed that the site was deconflicted with Israeli forces, a process intended to prevent military strikes on humanitarian locations.

In a statement, UNRWA urged all parties to avoid using schools and nearby areas for military purposes, stressing, “No one is safe in Gaza. No one is spared. Schools and other civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times, they are not a target.”

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, decried the “endless and senseless killing, day after day” in Gaza. Writing on X, Lazzarini revealed that at least 220 UNRWA staff members have died since the conflict began, adding, “Humanitarian staff, premises, and operations have been blatantly and unabatedly disregarded since the beginning of the war.” He warned that the longer impunity prevails, the more international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions will be undermined.

Polio Vaccination Campaign Amid Healthcare Crisis

Meanwhile, health workers in northern Gaza continue to vaccinate children against polio, despite the region’s healthcare system being on the brink of collapse. As of Tuesday, over 81,600 boys and girls had received polio vaccinations, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This is part of a larger campaign aimed at vaccinating more than 640,000 children after polio was detected in Gaza in June.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric announced that “more than 230 teams are on the ground trying to reach all children under the age of 10 with the first batch of the polio vaccine.” The second round of vaccinations is expected to take place in four weeks.