Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

UN appalled by the news of an attack on an UNRWA school in Northern Gaza where hundreds of people had taken refuge

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • UN appalled by the news of an attack on an UNRWA school in Northern Gaza where hundreds of people had taken refuge

    Does anything justify an attack on a UN refugee center?


    LATEST STATEMENTS

    Erbil, 24 July 2014 - Secretary-General's statement on Beit Hanoun

    I am appalled by the news of an attack on an UNRWA school in Northern Gaza where hundreds of people had taken refuge.

    Many have been killed ? including women and children, as well as UN staff.

    Circumstances are still unclear. I strongly condemn this act.

    Throughout the day, our staff had been attempting to arrange a humanitarian pause in the hostilities so that civilians could be evacuated.

    I express my profound condolences to the families of the victims and those of so many hundreds of innocent Gazans who have tragically been killed as a result of the massive Israeli assault.

    When I briefed the Security Council from Ramallah just two days ago, I condemned Hamas rocket fire and called on Israel to exercise particular care to avoid any attack on United Nations premises where civilians have taken refuge. More than 100,000 Gazans ? that?s 5 percent of the total population ? have sought refuge in UNRWA facilities.

    I once again stress to all sides that they must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law to respect the sanctity of civilian life, the inviolability of UN premises and to honour their obligations to humanitarian workers.

    Today?s attack underscores the imperative for the killing to stop ? and to stop now.

    From here I will continue to work with international and regional partners to help reach an agreement to end the fighting as soon as possible for the people of Gaza and Israel.


  • #2
    Re: UN appalled by the news of an attack on an UNRWA school in Northern Gaza where hundreds of people had taken refuge

    In the interest of reporting both sides, there are news articles at the Jerusalem Post:
    The Jerusalem Post is Israel's most-read English news website and best-selling English newspaper bringing breaking news, world news & middle east news.


    Here is one:
    UNRWA admitted itself on two different occasions since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge began 16 days ago that they discovered rockets in their facilities.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: UN appalled by the news of an attack on an UNRWA school in Northern Gaza where hundreds of people had taken refuge

      Originally posted by wdcare View Post
      In the interest of reporting both sides, there are news articles at the Jerusalem Post:
      The Jerusalem Post is Israel's most-read English news website and best-selling English newspaper bringing breaking news, world news & middle east news.


      Here is one:
      http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Prote...o-Hamas-368578

      Interesting. The Secretary-General says the UN was trying to evacuate as per post 1 but in the Jerusalem Post article:

      "Civilians in the school were asked to vacate the area, but refused, the army added."

      I guess the army is calling the Secretary-General a liar.

      FluTrackers does not take any political sides. I am fairly certain firing on a UN refugee installation - by anyone - for any reason - can be considered a war crime.

      There is simply no justification for firing upon a UN refugee installation and/or medical facility.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: UN appalled by the news of an attack on an UNRWA school in Northern Gaza where hundreds of people had taken refuge


        Ban Ki-moon
        New York, 23 July 2014 - Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on weapons at UNRWA school in Gaza
        The Secretary-General is alarmed to hear that rockets were placed in an UNRWA school in Gaza and that subsequently these have gone missing. He expresses his outrage, and regret, at the placing of weapons in a UN-administered school. By doing so, those responsible are turning schools into potential military targets, and endangering the lives of innocent children, UN employees working in such facilities, and anyone using the UN schools as shelter.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: UN appalled by the news of an attack on an UNRWA school in Northern Gaza where hundreds of people had taken refuge

          UNRWA STRONGLY CONDEMNS ISRAELI SHELLING OF ITS SCHOOL IN GAZA AS A SERIOUS VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
          30 July 2014

          101

          1 / 1
          STATEMENT BY UNRWA COMMISSIONER-GENERAL PIERRE KRÄHENBÜHL

          Jerusalem

          Last night, children were killed as they slept next to their parents on the floor of a classroom in a UN designated shelter in Gaza. Children killed in their sleep; this is an affront to all of us, a source of universal shame. Today the world stands disgraced.

          We have visited the site and gathered evidence. We have analysed fragments, examined craters and other damage. Our initial assessment is that it was Israeli artillery that hit our school, in which 3,300 people had sought refuge. We believe there were at least three impacts. It is too early to give a confirmed official death toll. But we know that there were multiple civilian deaths and injuries including of women and children and the UNRWA guard who was trying to protect the site. These are people who were instructed to leave their homes by the Israeli army.

          The precise location of the Jabalia Elementary Girls School and the fact that it was housing thousands of internally displaced people was communicated to the Israeli army seventeen times, to ensure its protection; the last being at ten to nine last night, just hours before the fatal shelling.

          I condemn in the strongest possible terms this serious violation of international law by Israeli forces.

          This is the sixth time that one of our schools has been struck. Our staff, the very people leading the humanitarian response are being killed. Our shelters are overflowing. Tens of thousands may soon be stranded in the streets of Gaza, without food, water and shelter if attacks on these areas continue.

          We have moved beyond the realm of humanitarian action alone. We are in the realm of accountability. I call on the international community to take deliberate international political action to put an immediate end to the continuing carnage.

          BACKGROUND INFORMATION
          UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.

          Financial support to UNRWA has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, expanding need, and deepening poverty. As a result, the Agency's General Fund (GF), supporting UNRWA’s core activities and 97 per cent reliant on voluntary contributions, has begun each year with a large projected deficit. Currently the deficit stands at US$ 69 million.

          For more information, please contact:

          Christopher Gunness
          UNRWA Spokesperson
          Mobile:
          +972 (0)54 240 2659
          Office:
          +972 (0)2 589 0267
          c.gunness@unrwa.org (link sends e-mail)
          Sami Mshasha
          UNRWA Arabic Spokesperson
          Mobile:
          +972 (0)54 216 8295
          Office:
          +972 (0)2 589 0724
          s.mshasha@unrwa.org
          Twitter: @RonanKelly13
          The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

          Comment

          Working...
          X