UN to reduce staff in Gaza, blaming Israel for a strike that killed its employee
World
The ministry on Monday put out a list of the names of more than 15,000 children
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The United Nations said on Monday it will “reduce its footprint” in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli tank strike hit one of its compounds last week, killing one staffer from Bulgaria and wounding five other employees.
The world body will temporarily remove about a third of its approximately 100 international staffers working in Gaza, UN.
Secretary-General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. He pointed to the increased danger after Israel relaunched its military campaign last week with bombardment that has since killed hundreds of Palestinians. Israel has also cut off all food, medicine, aid and other supplies to Gaza’s population for the past three weeks.
Dujarric’s statement was the U.N’s first to point the finger at Israel in the March 19 explosion at the UN guesthouse in central Gaza. He said that “based on the information currently available,” the strikes on the site “were caused by an Israeli tank.”
Dujarric said the UN “has made taken the difficult decision to reduce the Organization’s footprint in Gaza, even as humanitarian needs soar.” He said the UN “is not leaving Gaza,” pointing out that it still has about 13,000 national staff in Gaza, mainly working for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
New strikes killed dozens in Gaza
New Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours killed more than 60 Palestinians around Gaza, the territory’s Health Ministry said. The ministry’s count does not distinguish between civilians and militants.
The ministry on Monday put out a list of the names of more than 15,000 children, 17 and under, killed by Israel’s campaign since it began more than 17 months ago. The list included nearly 5,000 children under the age of 6 who had been killed, including 876 infants who had not reached a year in age,
Israel, which launched its campaign .in retaliation for Hamas’ October 2023 attack, says it has restarted its bombardment and cut off food to Gaza to force Hamas to accept new terms for the ceasefire and release more hostages. It says it targets Hamas members and positions, blaming the group for civilian deaths because it operates among the population.
Air raid sirens sound in Israel after a missile attacks from Yemen and Gaza
Air raid sirens and explosions were heard over Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and central Israel on Monday evening as the military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said “teams are en-route to search areas where reports of rocket strikes have been received.”
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have fired a handful of long-range missiles at Israel in the days since it resumed the war in Gaza. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Houthis.
Two rockets from the Gaza Strip were also intercepted after crossing into Israeli territory earlier Monday evening, setting off sirens, the Israeli military said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, claimed responsibility.
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