In an airstrike on September 11, 2024, an Israeli attack on a UN school in the Nuseirat camp in Gaza resulted in the death of at least 18 individuals, including six United Nations employees. The school, which was being used as a shelter for displaced people due to the ongoing conflict, had not been functioning as an educational institution since October and was home to approximately 12,000 people, many of them women and children.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the airstrike targeted individuals they identified as terrorists from Hamas, claiming that the militants were using the school compound to plan attacks. Despite these claims, the strike has been met with outrage, particularly from UN officials and Palestinian authorities, who argue that the school was being used solely to shelter civilians.
UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of six of its staff in the strike, which they noted was the fifth attack on the school compound since October 7. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, criticized the growing disregard for international humanitarian law in Gaza, emphasizing the toll on civilians and UN personnel.
Search and rescue operations continued in the aftermath, with reports of women and children being among the injured. Footage from the scene showed the extensive damage caused by the strike, with debris scattered around the compound, and civilians searching through the wreckage for loved ones.
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas rages on, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has deepened, with thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire. Since October 7, over 41,000 people have been killed and nearly 95,000 injured, according to figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
While the IDF insists that they took steps to mitigate civilian harm, international observers and human rights organizations continue to express concern over the scale of civilian casualties and the targeting of civilian infrastructure in Gaza.
