JERUSALEM. The Israeli military on Thursday named nine individuals it identified as Hamas militants killed in Gaza airstrikes. The United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) confirmed that the strikes also claimed the lives of six of its staff members.
According to the Israeli military, three of the Hamas militants were also working as UNRWA employees. Reuters was unable to verify their identities independently, and Hamas has not yet issued a response regarding the allegations.
The airstrikes, which occurred on Wednesday, targeted a school in central Gaza. UNRWA reported that the school compound was sheltering displaced civilians when two separate strikes hit, resulting in the highest single-day death toll among its staff since the conflict began. In total, the strikes killed at least 18 people, including women and children.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, with his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, stating, “This incident must be independently and thoroughly investigated to ensure accountability. The continued lack of effective protection for civilians in Gaza is unconscionable.”
The Israeli military, however, maintained that Hamas militants were using the school compound for military purposes. Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s Director of Communications, expressed concern that the Israeli authorities had not previously flagged any of the UNRWA staff members as potential Hamas militants. “The names that appear on today’s statement from the Israeli Army have not been flagged to us before by the Israeli authorities on previous occasions,” Touma said.
The UN has called for all parties involved in the conflict to refrain from using civilian areas such as schools and shelters for military purposes. Meanwhile, the Israeli military continues to assert that it takes steps to minimize civilian casualties, despite accusing Hamas of using Palestinian civilians as human shields, a charge that Hamas denies.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
