Four Palestinian aid workers killed in Israel's attacks on Gaza, aid official says

UN says one of its schools was also hit, but there were no casualties

A Palestinian Red Crescent medic (R) in Gaza, on September 13, 2023. AFP

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Four Palestinian Red Crescent workers were killed in the Israeli bombing of Gaza, an aid official said, as the UN reported an Israeli attack on a school in the area.

Ahmad Jibril, head of the Ambulance Department at the Palestinian Red Crescent told The National on Monday that four other workers were wounded.

The Israeli strikes on Gaza followed a surprise attack by the Hamas militant group on Israel, one of the most lethal in the history of the conflict.

Even before the latest violence, conditions in Gaza have been deteriorating under a 16-year Israeli blockade, imposed after Hamas took control of the coastal area in a Palestinian civil war.

The blockade has been a major factor in pushing most of the two million people in Gaza into depending on UN food aid and other assistance.

The aid is delivered mostly by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

UNRWA said a school sheltering displaced families in the Gaza Strip “was directly hit” in the Israeli attacks, but there were no casualties.

It said the school, in which 225 people were taking cover, was badly damaged.

About 73,500 Palestinians have taken shelter in 64 UNRWA schools in Gaza, the organisation said.

Forty-five of the schools are equipped with Designated Emergency Shelters.

UNRWA cited data by the Palestinian Health Ministry which stated that 370 people had been killed in Gaza, with 2,200 wounded, since October 7.

Among them were three male pupils who attended UNRWA schools in Khan Younis and Beit Hanoun.

At least 650 people were killed in Israel.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a complete blockade on Gaza. On Tuesday, Israel amassed thousands of troops near the border with the strip for a possible invasion.