March 13, 2024
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UNRWA stated as much as 60 individuals are believed to have been working on the Rafah distribution heart when it was broken.
The United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency introduced that Israeli forces attacked a meals distribution heart in Rafah within the southern Gaza Strip, killing one workers member and injuring 22 others.
UNRWA Director-General Philippe Lazzarini stated assaults on the power had been “routine and a blatant disregard for worldwide humanitarian legislation.”
The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry stated 5 folks had been killed within the Israeli airstrike.
The Israeli army stated it had killed a Hamas commander in a “precision strike.”
Authorities recognized the suspect as Mohammed Abu Hasna, who they stated was a “fight help operative” for Hamas’ army wing within the Rafah area.
A person with the identical identify was on an inventory of 5 folks killed by well being authorities.
Rafah is filled with an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians fleeing Israeli floor assaults elsewhere within the Gaza Strip.
The UN chief warned {that a} threatened Israeli assault on the town might “plunge the folks of Gaza deeper into hell.”
The struggle in Gaza started on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 folks and taking 253 hostages.
The army operation launched by Israel in response has killed greater than 31,200 folks within the Gaza Strip, in keeping with the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Wednesday’s strike reportedly hit the east aspect of the UNRWA meals distribution heart in japanese Rafah.
UNRWA spokeswoman Juliet Touma informed the BBC that as much as 60 folks had been believed to have labored on the facility, which additionally functioned as a warehouse for meals and different very important provides.
“We know that the Israeli army was accountable. Our groups had been on the scene and reported the variety of casualties,” she stated.
Photos of the aftermath confirmed a pool of blood within the courtyard outdoors the warehouse, painted blue and white, and one other pool simply contained in the constructing’s doorway, subsequent to containers of aid provides.
A 15-year-old boy and 4 males between the ages of 27 and 50, certainly one of whom was named Mohammed Abu Hasna, had been reportedly killed.
People had been additionally photographed subsequent to 5 our bodies at a neighborhood hospital, certainly one of them a person sporting a blue UN tabard.
“This is a UNRWA heart and we count on it to be secure,” UNRWA official Sami Abu Salim informed AFP as he surveyed the injury.
“Some got here to work to distribute support to folks in want of meals. [Islamic] holy month of ramadan. Suddenly, two missiles hit. ”
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An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah, with poor entry to secure consuming water and meals.
On Wednesday evening, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a press release saying the plane “precisely focused and eradicated a terrorist, Mr. Mohammed Abu Hasna, of the Hamas operational forces within the Rafah space,” however stated that UNRWA’s No point out was manufactured from the power.
“He was additionally concerned in seizing humanitarian support and distributing it to Hamas terrorists,” it added.
“furthermore, [Abu] Hasna coordinated the actions of assorted Hamas forces and liaised with Hamas area operatives to extend their actions. [Abu] Hasna was additionally in command of the Information Operations Office, which supplies data on IDF positions utilized in Hamas assaults. ”
“Today’s assault on one of many few remaining UNRWA distribution facilities within the Gaza Strip comes at a time when meals provides are depleted, starvation is widespread, and a few areas are getting ready to famine,” Lazzarini stated. Told.
“Every day we share the coordinates of all services throughout the Gaza Strip with events to the battle. The Israeli army obtained the coordinates containing this facility yesterday.”
UNRWA stated at the least 165 of its 13,000 workers in Gaza have been killed and greater than 150 services broken because the struggle started.
More than 400 folks died whereas taking shelter underneath the UN flag, the company stated.
Israel has accused UNRWA of supporting Hamas, which is banned as a terrorist group by Israel, Britain, the United States and different international locations.
The company denies this, however in January it fired 9 of the 12 workers accused within the Israeli file of involvement within the Oct. 7 assault.
The United Nations has not but launched the outcomes of an inside investigation launched after the United States and different donor international locations withdrew funding following the allegations.