UN: "Gaza, Civil Facilities Including Refugee Camps Suffer Continuous Damage"

More than 20 Schools in Gaza Damaged"... Even Refugee Schools Bombed

Residents of Gaza Strip are suffering damage to civilian facilities, including refugee camps where they are taking shelter from Israeli airstrikes.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported on the 20th (local time) that the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip was damaged by nearby bombings, injuring three displaced persons.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Earlier, on the 17th, the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza Strip, where more than 4,000 displaced persons were staying, was hit by airstrikes, killing at least six people and injuring dozens, including UNRWA staff.

The two refugee camps, about 4.8 km apart, both use schools as shelters for displaced persons. On the 13th, the Israeli military instructed Gaza City residents to evacuate to south of Wadi Gaza, a wetland crossing Gaza Strip east to west; both schools are located south of Wadi Gaza.

UNRWA stated in a report, "33 UNRWA facilities across Gaza Strip have been reported damaged by Israeli airstrikes," adding, "Since the start of the war, more than 100 displaced persons in the facilities have been injured and eight have died."

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has identified that more than 20 schools in Gaza Strip have been damaged by airstrikes so far. Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, said, "This is a blatant disregard for civilian lives," and added, "There is no longer a safe place in Gaza Strip. The same goes for UNRWA facilities."

As civilian casualties flood hospitals, Gaza Strip’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapse. Medical staff are facing a situation where they must prioritize patients due to the severity of injuries and shortages of medical supplies and medicines, reported the American daily The New York Times. Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in Gaza Strip, is conserving fuel by turning off some elevators, water heaters, and air conditioners, prioritizing operation of intensive care units, incubators, and dialysis machines.