The region has been enduring over three and a half months of an unrelenting genocidal Israeli war. The United Nations reported the attack shortly after it occurred on Wednesday, specifying that the strike targeted the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)'s vocational training center in the city, serving as a shelter for tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians.
"Mass casualties have taken place, some buildings are ablaze and there are reports of deaths. Many people are trying to flee the scene, but (are) unable to do so," stated UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian Territory, James McGoldrick. Thomas White, director of Gaza affairs for UNRWA, reported that two tank rounds hit one of the center's buildings, where approximately 800 displaced people had sought shelter, resulting in at least nine deaths and 75 injuries.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini expressed concern that the death toll might be higher, emphasizing, "The compound is a clearly marked UN facility, and its coordinates were shared with Israeli authorities as we do for all our facilities. Once again, a blatant disregard of basic rules of war." UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths criticized the Israeli regime's actions, stating, "Ordering trapped people to evacuate and bombing them before they can even do so is callous."
The United States, a staunch ally of the Israeli regime providing unwavering military and political support, only deplored the attack. It emphasized the need to respect the protected nature of UN facilities.
The Israeli regime initiated the war on October 7, 2023, following an operation carried out by Gaza's resistance movements. The regime's brutal onslaught has resulted in the deaths of approximately 25,700 Palestinians, with around 70 percent being women, children, and adolescents.