In a tragic incident on Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike targeted Al-Jaouni School in central Gaza, killing 18 people, including six staff members from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). This attack marked the highest death toll among UNRWA staff in a single incident since the conflict began.

Among those killed were the shelter manager and other team members who had been assisting displaced civilians. “This school has been hit five times since the war began. It is home to around 12,000 displaced people, mainly women and children,” UNRWA said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

The Gaza government’s media office confirmed the deaths, highlighting that the school had been providing shelter to those fleeing the ongoing violence. The international community has condemned attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers, calling for the protection of displaced people in conflict zones.