More than 300 people sheltering in UN shelters have been killed since Israel-Hamas war began, agency says
At least 308 people sheltering in shelters run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) have been killed and at least 100 have been injured since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the agency said on Friday. 1,095 people have been injured. Known as Twitter.
UNRWA also noted that "Initial reports indicate that on 25 December, 2 people sheltering at @UNRWA Maghaji Prep School were killed and 1 injured, as a direct result of the attack."
In a statement sent to CNN on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that "during operations in the Gaza Strip against Hamas terrorist targets, IAF fighter jets struck two areas adjacent to Hamas terrorists on December 24, 2023." Attacked the targets."
The attacks were against targets in the al-Maghazi refugee camp. According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, about 70 people were killed in the attacks.
The IDF acknowledged that airstrikes in central Gaza on 24 December had resulted in "unforeseeable harm" to civilians.
An aerial photo shows people mourning for their relatives who were killed in the Israeli attack on Maghaji refugee camp on December 25.
“Prior to the attack, steps were taken by the IDF to minimize harm to civilians not involved in the area. “Preliminary investigations indicate that additional buildings located near the targets were also affected during the strikes, potentially causing unanticipated harm to additional unarmed civilians,” the statement said.
The IDF said that further investigation of the attacks would be conducted by the General Staff's Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism. It said the IDF regrets the harm caused to civilians who were not involved and is working to draw conclusions and learn lessons from the incident.
More information on the situation on the ground: According to the agency's statement on its official website on Wednesday, approximately 1.4 million displaced people are taking shelter in 156 UNRWA facilities, while another 500,000 are registered and receiving services from UNRWA.
UNRWA also said the average number of internally displaced people in UNRWA shelters located in the central and southern regions is more than 12,000, "more than four times their capacity."
The IDF warned residents in several parts of central Gaza on Thursday that they should leave immediately while its campaign against Hamas continues. The IDF released a message in Arabic on Twitter (formerly Twitter), instructing people in 15 identified blocks south of Wadi Gaza to go to shelters. These areas include the Al-Bureij refugee camp.
The lack of communications and Internet access in Gaza, which has been worsened by Israeli air strikes, has made it difficult to assess how many residents would have been aware of the IDF's "urgent directive".
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