UN says one of its Gaza schools was blown up, fails to blame 'Israel'

By Al Mayadeen English
13 Dec 2023 04:16
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The Commissioner-General of UNRWA confirms that one of the agency's schools in northern Gaza was blown up.

A screen grab showing the moment the Israeli occupation forces blew up an UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza (Social media)

The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, confirmed on Wednesday that one of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees' schools in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza was blown up, failing to hold the Israeli occupation forces responsible for this crime.

"Saw videos of an @UNRWA school in northern #Gaza blown up. It is outrageous. All public facilities, including hospitals & @UN schools are protected under international law," Lazzarini wrote on X after users circulated a video of the Israeli occupation forces destroying the school.

Saw videos of an @UNRWA school in northern #Gaza blown up. It is outrageous. All public facilities, including hospitals & @UN schools are protected under international law. Parties to this brutal war have the coordinates of all our facilities in Gaza.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) December 12, 2023

My middle school @UNRWA in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip blown apart by demolition explosives. pic.twitter.com/1AEeXwsLvd
— Loay (@AstroLoay) December 12, 2023

Lazzarini had written a letter to UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis on Friday, foreseeing the eventual loss of lives among his team due to the Israeli aggression on Gaza, which he described as the "darkest hour in the agency's 75-year history."

"I must inform you that UNRWA's ability to implement its General Assembly mandate in Gaza is today severely limited, with immediate and dire consequences for the UN humanitarian response and the lives of civilians in Gaza," the letter read.

"The long-term implications for Palestine Refugees and prospects for a fair and lasting political solution are grave," it added.

Lazzarini noted that following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, several thousand civilians in Gaza preemptively sought refuge in UNRWA premises, anticipating unprecedented aggression and seeking safety under the UN flag. As of Friday, December 8, this number had increased to 1.2 million, approximately half of the Gaza Strip's population, he highlighted.

"UNRWA is, as of today, still operational in the Gaza Strip, though just barely," he pointed out.

The UNRWA Commissioner-General further added that his team continues to run health centers, oversee shelters, and offer support to those affected, some of whom arrive with their killed children due to brutal Israeli airstrikes.

"We are still distributing food, even though the courtyards and corridors of our premises are too crowded to walk through. Our staff take their children to work so they know they are safe or can die together," he went on to say.

Lazzarini confirmed that over 130 confirmed UNRWA staff, predominantly with their families, have been killed by Israeli bombings, adding this number may increase.

According to Lazzarini, a minimum of 70% of UNRWA staff members are displaced, facing shortages of food, water, and suitable shelter.

"We are hanging on by our fingertips. If UNRWA collapses, humanitarian assistance in Gaza will also collapse," he tersely stated, warning that the fundamental basis of UNRWA's mission, which involves delivering services to Palestinian refugees until a political resolution is reached, is under severe threat.

"Without safe shelter and aid, civilians in Gaza risk death or will be forced to Egypt and beyond. Forced displacement out of Gaza may end prospects for the political solution that is intrinsic to UNRWA’s mandate, with grave risks to regional peace and security. A forced displacement beyond Palestinian land, reminiscent of the 1948 nakba, must be prevented," he stressed.

"In my 35 years working in complex emergencies, I have never written such a letter - predicting the killing of my staff and the collapse of the mandate I am expected to fulfill," Lazzarini expressed, concluding by urgently requesting a ceasefire in Gaza.