The European Union and Germany are criticizing Israel following an air strike by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeting a Hamas terrorist who had taken part in the October 7 attack. The IDF struck a tent camp for displaced Gazans, resulting in the deaths of at least 29 Palestinians. The Gaza Health Ministry (GHM) said the attack hit the gate near the al-Awda school in Abasan al-Kabira, where the the camp holding as many as 3,000 people is located.
Following the Israeli action, many criticized the IDF’s repeated negligence, indiscriminate rules of engagement, and disregard for civilian life. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office said the repeated attacks on civilians must stop, stating on X:
#Gaza : It is unacceptable that people are being killed while seeking protection in #Schulen. Civilians, especially children, must not be caught in the crossfire. The repeated attacks by the Israeli army on schools must stop and an investigation must be carried out quickly.
In a statement on X earlier today, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said 524 people sheltering in their facilities have been killed since the start of the war:
453 attacks impacting @UNRWA premises and the people inside them have been reported since the war began. Two thirds of our schools in #Gaza have been hit, with 524 people sheltering in our facilities killed. @UN structures, schools and shelters are not a target. #CeasefireNow
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini condemned Israel’s repeated attacks on civilians, accusing Israel of blatant disregard of international humanitarian law, stating:
#Gaza 4 schools hit in the last 4 days. Since the war began, two thirds of @UNRWA schools in Gaza have been hit, some were bombed out, many severely damaged. Schools have gone from safe places of #education & hope for children to overcrowded shelters and often ending up a place of death & misery. Nine months in, under our watch, the relentless, endless killings, destruction and despair continue. Gaza is no place for children. The blatant disregard of international humanitarian law cannot become the new normal…. Ceasefire now before we lose what is left of our common humanity. #CeasefireNOW
