As of Wednesday, UNRWA recorded 126 incidents at its facilities since the start of the Israeli war on October 7.
Israel has escalated its attacks on schools run by the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, also known as UNRWA, where displaced Palestinians inside Gaza have been sheltering since the start of the war, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said in a statement on Wednesday.
The European rights entity closely monitored the Israeli attacks on five UNRWA-run schools between Tuesday and Wednesday located in the south and north of Gaza, which resulted in “hundreds of casualties.”
“These attacks have caused hundreds of casualties and are a grave violation of the legal immunity that should be enjoyed by UN facilities,” Euro-Med said.
A total of 1.9 million, over 85% of Gaza’s 2.3 million population, are internally displaced with 1.2 million sheltering in 156 UNRWA-run facilities, according to preliminary figures by Euro-Med. Last week, the displaced population comprised almost 80% of the total population, marking a stark jump.
The average number of internally displaced Palestinians in UNRWA shelters in Gaza is 10,326, more than four times of their capacity, according to the UN agency.
“UNRWA buildings display the UN flag on their roofs, and the relevant Israeli authorities are periodically notified of the coordinates of all schools and centres that have been converted into emergency shelters for civilians,” Euro-Med explained.
UNRWA reported four attacks on its schools across Gaza on Monday including one in Beit Lahiya, Deir El Balah, Nuseirat camp, and one in Gaza City, but it is still unable to gather the exact casualties of the four incidents.
As of Wednesday, UNRWA recorded 126 incidents at its facilities since the start of the Israeli war on October 7.
Israel has targeted civilian facilities under the two-month long genocide on Gaza.
The Israeli occupation forces have killed at least 17,177 Palestinians since the start of the genocide in Gaza, according to the latest figures by Palestine’s health ministry.
Euro-Med reported a much higher figure on Wednesday of 21,731, including 8,697 children and missing Palestinians under the rubble.
The figure has remained disputed ever since Gaza’s collapsed health sector stopped keeping track of the total toll after the ground invasion of Al-Shifa Hospital on November 18 and the non-stop bombardment.
The electricity blackout imposed by Israel since October 11 has also made it more difficult to keep record of the casualties.
The occupation forces damaged 265 schools, targeted 131 health facilities, and completely destroyed 61,700 housing units, according to Euro-Med.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society also declared on Thursday that its ambulance centre in the north of Gaza has stopped working.
The genocide in Gaza intensified since the expiration of a truce that was mediated by Qatar and Egypt on Friday, with occupation forces advancing deeper into Khan Yunis as they expand their military operations.
The week-long truce lasted between November 24 until December 1 and led to the release of at least 110 Israeli and foreign captives from Gaza, according to a Doha News tally. As part of the deal, Israel released 240 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons.
Israel has been citing the Hamas operation of October 7, known as “Operation Al Aqsa Flood,” as the pretext for its war.
The operation saw the Al-Qassam Brigades – Hamas’ armed wing – infiltrate the occupied territories through air, land and sea while returning to Gaza with at least 240 captives.
Al-Qassam said at the time that the operation was in response to the increased raids of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and settler violence towards Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then vowed to turn Gaza “into rubble” hours after the operation.
“All the places in which Hamas is based, in this city of evil, all the places Hamas is hiding in, acting from—we’ll turn them into rubble,” he said in a televised statement from Tel Aviv on October 7.