Guterres deplores death of 6 UNRWA staffers, 12 others in Israeli strike, calls for probe

By Anjali Sharma

UNITED NATIONS – UN head Anytonio Guterres on Thursday described the lack of effective protection for civilians in Gaza during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas as “unconscionable”.

Mr. Guterres condemned the latest Israeli attack on a school serving as a shelter in Nuseirat on Wednesday, which killed 6 staffers from the UN Palestine refugee agency and 12 others, including women and children, in a statement issued in New York by UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Dujarric told correspondents during a regular briefing in New York that “This incident raises the number of UNRWA staff killed in this conflict to 220.”

“The Israeli Defense Forces stated that they had targeted a command-and-control centre in the compound,” he said.

“This incident must be independently and thoroughly investigated to ensure accountability,” the statement said

He demanded that all combatants protect the lives and “essential needs” of civilians throughout the Gaza Strip, urged them to stop using schools and shelters or the areas around them for military purposes.

Mr. Dujarric underscored that all parties are obliged to always comply with international humanitarian law.

“The Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages being held in Gaza. This horrific violence must stop,” the statement added.

UN-administered polio vaccination campaign to inoculate some 640,000 children in Gaza with two doses of vaccine type 2 is continuing despite challenges, Mr. Dujarric told journalists.

He said that “UNRWA tells us that, as of yesterday, nearly 530,000 children have now received the vaccine across the Gaza Strip.”

WHO and partners in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates organized the largest medical evacuation from Gaza since last October, the agencyreported.

It said that the total of 252 people who left Gaza on Wednesday included 97 sick and severely injured patients and 155 of their companions.

WHO said that they travelled through the Kerem Shalom crossing to Ramon Airport in Israel for onward travel to Abu Dhabi for specialised care.

WHO regional director Hanan Balky said patients were suffering from a variety of conditions, including brain tumors, cancers, amputations and serious injuries sustained during the war.

“This achievement took place as WHO and partners were also wrapping up the first round of a polio campaign targeting 640,000 children under the age of 10,” he said in a post on X.

“My deepest gratitude to the UAE for their continued generosity in receiving and treating patients from Gaza and sincere appreciation to the dedicated teams at WHO and partners for their tireless efforts despite the challenges.”

Mr. Dujarric said that the situation on both sides of the Blue Line that divides south Lebanon and northern Israel “continues to be fragile and is taking its toll on civilians, particularly, on children”.

UN peacekeeping force that patrols the demarcation area and provides services to civilians in need, UNIFIL said that two children were reportedly killed by a drone strike in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

UNIFIL reiterated its condemnation of any attacks on civilians and called on all parties to the conflict to cease the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line and return to a cessation of hostilities.