After months of consecutive attacks on humanitarian aid facilities, Israeli forces have now “completely destroyed” the headquarters of the main aid organization for Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, the agency reports.
Israeli forces attacked the facility last week in their gruesome raid on Gaza City, leaving nothing but rubble in its wake. The building was one of many run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the largest aid agency for Palestinians in Gaza and beyond.
UNRWA Commissioner Philippe Lazzarini said the Israeli attack on the facility constituted a “blatant” war crime.
“Shocking. The UNRWA headquarters in Gaza has been turned into a battlefield and is now razed to the ground.” he said“Another incident of blatant disregard for international humanitarian law. United Nations facilities must be protected at all times. They must never be used for military or combat purposes.”
UNRWA’s Director of External Relations, Tamara Alrifai, said Al Jazeera English in an interview that the headquarters was now “unrecognizable” compared to what Alrifai had seen on previous visits – a contrast that “speaks volumes” about Israel’s violations of international law.
Since October alone, Israeli forces have attacked 190 UNRWA facilities in Gaza – more than half of the agency’s buildings in the region – and killed 197 UNRWA staff. Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed more humanitarian workers than any other military conflict in recent history.
The sheer destruction of Israel’s relentless bombardment has rendered Gaza uninhabitable for a myriad of reasons. The sheer amount of rubble would require workers. 15 years until clarificationestimates the United Nations Environmental Programme, and will cost at least 500 million dollars.
The rubble through which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to move due to another series of Israeli attacks and forced evacuation orders over the past week also contains unexploded ordnance that poses a deadly threat to those passing through.
Last week, UNRWA reported that Palestinians are running out of escape options and Israel is bombing areas it claims to have designated as “safe zones,” so they are at risk of encountering such unexploded ordnance. Experts estimate that about 10 percent of bombs dropped do not explode on impact, but instead prove to be death traps. Several people have already been reportedly killed or injured by unexploded ordnance in Gaza. The destruction of the UN relief agency’s headquarters came as Israel stepped up its attacks on Gaza. Palestinian officials reported that 320 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in the past 48 hours, including 17 Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike on a UNRWA school on Sunday.
The countdown has begun: we have 10 days to raise $50,000
Truth has launched a necessary fundraising campaign to support our work. Can you support us now?
Every day, our team reports in depth on complex political issues: We expose abuses in our so-called justice system, track global attacks on human rights, unmask the money behind right-wing movements, and much more. Your tax-deductible donation is crucial in these times so that we can do this essential journalistic work.
As we face increasing political control and censorship due to our reporting, Truth is currently heavily reliant on individual donations. Please donate today if you can.
