UNRWA says five staffers killed in resumed Gaza offensive

Five staff members of the United Nations Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, have been killed in the past few days, the agency’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini says.

“In the past few days another five UNRWA staff have been confirmed killed, bringing the death toll to 284. They were teachers, doctors and nurses: serving the most vulnerable,” he said in a statement posted on X.

On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned attacks on the organization’s personnel after a United Nations Office for Project Services staff member died in an alleged strike on UN guesthouses. Israel has denied carrying out an airstrike on the facility in Deir al-Balah, and photos from the scene show that those hurt were from the United Nations Mine Action Service, which deals with clearing leftover explosive devices.

Israel says Hamas and other Gazan terror groups use UN facilities to hide weapons, personnel or other infrastructure. It has also published evidence showing UNRWA staffers were among the thousands of Hamas-led Gazans to take part in massacres across southern Israel on October 7, 2023.