Alotrobo
An international staff member of the United Nations was killed, and five others sustained injuries during a strike on a UN guest house in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. This incident occurred as Israel intensified its military operations in the region, effectively ending a fragile ceasefire with Hamas.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned of an escalation in the offensive, indicating that evacuations from combat zones in Gaza would soon be ordered again. He stated that if hostages held in the area were not released, “Israel will act with an intensity that you have not seen.” Jorge Moreira da Silva, the head of the UN Office for Project Services, refrained from identifying the party responsible for the strike in the central city of Deir al-Balah.
However, he confirmed that the explosive device was “dropped or fired” and emphasized that the explosion was neither accidental nor related to demining efforts. He did not disclose the nationalities of the deceased and injured. The UN agency, known as UNOPS, is involved in infrastructure and development initiatives globally. The Israeli military, which has conducted extensive airstrikes across Gaza since early Tuesday, denied previous claims that it had targeted the UN facility.
Nevertheless, Moreira da Silva reported that strikes had occurred near the compound on Monday and directly impacted it on Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in the staff member’s death. He mentioned that the agency had reached out to the Israeli military following the initial strike and confirmed that they were aware of the facility’s location.
Israel was aware that this was a United Nations facility, where individuals were residing, working, and staying, he stated. Following the airstrike on Wednesday, the injured were swiftly transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital located in the central city of Deir al-Balah. One individual was carried in on a blanket supported by medical personnel, while another was seen on a hospital bed with a bandaged knee. Nearby, a blue protective vest marked with “UN” was placed on another bed.
Since Israel initiated airstrikes overnight and into Tuesday, effectively ending a ceasefire with Hamas that had been in place since January, there have been no reports of rocket fire or other attacks from Palestinian militants. The Israeli bombardment persisted into Wednesday, albeit at a reduced intensity.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 436 individuals, including 183 children and 94 women, have lost their lives since the commencement of the strikes early Tuesday, with an additional 678 people reported injured. The military asserts that its operations target militants and attributes civilian casualties to Hamas, which operates within densely populated regions. The records from Gaza’s Health Ministry do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
In a statement, the military indicated that as part of the renewed offensive, it targeted numerous militants and militant locations on Wednesday, including the command center of a Hamas battalion. The conflict in Gaza, which was temporarily halted in January due to an internationally-mediated ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, has been recognized by the UN as one of the deadliest conflicts for humanitarian workers.
The renewed hostilities initiated by Israel on Tuesday threaten to thrust the region back into a state of full-scale war. This escalation follows weeks after the conclusion of the initial phase of the ceasefire, during which Israel and Hamas engaged in a swap of hostages for prisoners and were preparing to discuss an extension of the truce aimed at ultimately resolving the conflict.
However, those discussions failed to materialize. Hamas has insisted that Israel adhere to the stipulations of the original ceasefire agreement, which includes a complete withdrawal from Gaza and a cessation of hostilities. In contrast, Israel, determined to defeat Hamas, has proposed a new plan that would prolong the truce and facilitate the release of additional hostages held by Hamas, but without a commitment to conclude the war.
