US ‘deplores’ alleged Israeli shelling that hit UN training center in Gaza

The United States is concerned by an alleged Israeli attack that hit a UN training center sheltering displaced people in Gaza’s Khan Younis, Deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel says, repeating Washington’s calls for the protection of civilians, humanitarian workers and aid facilities.

“We deplore today’s attack on the UN’s Khan Younis training center,” Patel tells a news briefing, calling it “incredibly concerning.”

The director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza has claimed that nine Palestinians were killed and 75 were injured when two tank rounds hit the building that was sheltering around 800 people in the southern Gaza Strip.

“Civilians must be protected, and the protected nature of UN facilities must be respected, and humanitarian workers must be protected so that they can continue providing civilians with the life-saving humanitarian assistance that they need,” Patel says.