UNITED NATIONS: The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the latest Israeli attack on a school serving as a shelter in Nuseirat on Wednesday, killing six staffers from the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, along with at least 12 others, including women and children.
In a statement released by his Spokesperson, Guterres termed the continued lack of effective protection for Palestinian civilians in Gaza during the ongoing Israel war in the besieged enclave as “unconscionable”.
“This incident raises the number of UNRWA staff killed in this conflict to 220,” UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.
He said this tragic incident must be independently and thoroughly investigated to ensure accountability.
The UN chief demanded that all combatants must protect the lives and basic needs of civilians throughout the Gaza Strip, urging them to stop using schools and shelters or the areas around them for military purposes.
Stephane Dujarric said all parties are obliged to always comply with international humanitarian law. He added the Secretary-General reaffirmed his call for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages being held in Gaza.
He said despite a number of challenges, the UN-administered polio vaccination campaign aiming to immunize some 640,000 children in Gaza is continuing.
The UN official said According to UNRWA nearly 530,000 children have now received the vaccine across the Gaza Strip. The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), organized the largest medical evacuation from Gaza since last October.
According to Gaza health officials Israel’s war on Gaza, now in its 343rd day, has killed 41,118 Palestinians and injured 95,125 others in the besieged enclave.
