UN’s Ban calls strike near Gaza school ‘criminal act’

In unusually strong language, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon slams the Israel Defense Forces for an attack near an UNRWA school in Gaza during which 10 Palestinians were reportedly killed Sunday, calling it a moral outrage and a criminal act.

“The attack is yet another gross violation of international humanitarian law, which clearly requires protection by both parties of Palestinian civilians, UN staff and UN premises, among other civilian facilities,” he says in a statement.

“United Nations shelters must be safe zones, not combat zones. The Israel Defense Forces have been repeatedly informed of the location of these sites. This attack, along with other breaches of international law, must be swiftly investigated and those responsible held accountable. It is a moral outrage and a criminal act.”

Ban further states that he is “profoundly dismayed over the appalling escalation of violence and loss of hundreds of Palestinian civilian lives since the breach of the humanitarian ceasefire” on Friday.

Unlike a Friday statement, he does not say who was responsible for the ceasefire’s breach. According to the Israeli version, Hamas breached the ceasefire by launching a suicide attack that killed three Israeli soldiers more than a hour after the truce went into effect. Hamas claims that the attack took place before the truce started.

“The resurgence in fighting has only exacerbated the man-made humanitarian and health crisis wreaking havoc in Gaza,” Ban says.

— Raphael Ahren