Wed Sep 11 22:53:13 UTC 2024: ## Six UNRWA Staff Killed in Airstrike on Gaza School
**Gaza City** – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) confirmed the tragic deaths of six of its staff members in a deadly airstrike on a school in central Gaza on Wednesday. The agency described this as the highest number of UNRWA staff killed in a single incident.
The school, which has been hit five times since the beginning of the conflict, is currently housing around 12,000 displaced Palestinians, mostly women and children. Among the victims were the UNRWA shelter manager and other team members working to provide assistance to the displaced population.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) stated that they conducted a strike on a Hamas command and control center in the Nuseirat area, where the school is located. The Gaza government media office, however, reported at least 18 deaths, including the UNRWA staff, as a result of the strike.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed outrage over the incident, deeming the lack of accountability for the killing of UN staff and humanitarian workers in Gaza as “totally unacceptable.”
The Israeli military maintains that it takes measures to minimize civilian casualties, claiming that at least a third of Palestinian fatalities are militants. They accuse Hamas of using civilians as human shields, a claim denied by the militant group.
The ongoing conflict, triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, has led to the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis and more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to official figures.
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