UNRWA official reports ‘mass casualties’ as fire breaks out in displaced persons shelter in Gaza

A UN training center sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people in Gaza has been hit, causing “mass casualties” as buildings blaze, claims a senior official in UNRWA, the UN organization for Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

“Fighting is escalating in Khan Younis… the @UNRWA Training Centre sheltering 10Ks of displaced people has just been hit – buildings ablaze and mass casualties – safe access to/from the centre has been denied for 2 days – people are trapped,” Thomas White, the director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, says on X.

Details of the cause of the incident is not immediately clear.

#Breaking #Eilmeldung #GazaStarking #KhanYounes
UNRWA AFFAIRS DIRECTOR: Clashes are escalating in Khan Younis, the UNRWA training center housing 10,000 people, which has just been hit, buildings have been set on fire and there have been mass casualties. pic.twitter.com/o3Gzzvgns6

— Salt (@SelimAltnta6) January 24, 2024

Israeli forces have been advancing through Khan Younis, southern Gaza’s main city, where the Hamas terror group’s leaders are believed to be hiding underground along with most of the remaining hostages.

In response to questions about the fire at the center, run by UNRWA, the IDF says the wider area is a significant base for Hamas terrorists.

“Dismantling Hamas’s military framework in western Khan Younis is the heart of the logic behind the operation,” it says.