
On September 12, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reported that six of its staff members were killed in two Israeli airstrikes targeting a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The airstrikes hit the UNRWA-run al-Jaouni school, which was serving as a shelter for displaced Palestinians. The attack resulted in at least 18 deaths and 18 injuries, marking the deadliest incident involving UNRWA staff to date.
The school, which had been hit five times since the onset of the current conflict, was home to around 12,000 displaced individuals at the time of the strikes. The UNRWA condemned the attacks, stating, “No one is safe in Gaza; no one is spared.” The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) asserted that their airstrikes were aimed at a Hamas command and control center. IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani confirmed that the military had requested detailed information from UNRWA to review the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The incident has drawn international condemnation. Qatar and Jordan, along with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, have expressed outrage over the killing of UNRWA workers. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, decried the “senseless killing, day after day” in Gaza, noting that at least 220 of the agency’s workers have been killed since October 7. The United Nations reports that more than 280 aid workers, predominantly from UNRWA, have lost their lives since the conflict began.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have both condemned the attacks, with Ghebreyesus calling them “terribly tragic” and renewing calls for a cease-fire.
The broader context includes ongoing violence in Gaza, with over 41,000 people reported killed and 95,000 injured since the conflict’s escalation. The situation has also drawn attention to the strained efforts for a cease-fire and the challenges faced by humanitarian agencies operating in the region.
In parallel, other regional developments include significant gains by the Islamist Islamic Action Front in Jordan’s parliamentary elections, which could impact regional dynamics and peace agreements.