The United Nations criticized the strike, which killed 18 people including six of its workers. Israel said the former school it targeted had become a haven for militants.The New York Times reports that condemnation is growing over a deadly Israeli strike on a school turned shelter in central Gaza. Israel claims that the complex, which was crowded with people who had been displaced from their homes, had become a headquarters for militants. The site, formerly known as Al-Jaouni School, was operated by the United Nations and housed around 12,000 displaced people, mostly women and children.

According to Palestinian authorities, the strike on Wednesday killed 18 Gazans, including six U.N. employees, making it the deadliest single strike on U.N. workers in Gaza since the war began. British foreign secretary David Lammy joined in the criticism, calling the deaths of the U.N. workers “appalling” and urging a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. The government of Qatar, a key mediator in cease-fire talks, also condemned the strike as a “horrifying massacre.”

The Israeli military continues to defend the strike, claiming that the compound in Nuseirat was being used as a Hamas “command and control center.” This justification has been used to justify multiple strikes on schools serving as shelters. However, the U.N. human rights agency’s office for Palestinian affairs stated that the strike highlights Israel’s failure to comply with international humanitarian law. While Hamas using civilians as human shields would be a war crime, it does not excuse Israel’s obligation to protect civilians.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesman Stéphane Dujarric called for an independent and thorough investigation into the strike, stating that the lack of protection for civilians in Gaza is unacceptable. Israel has released a list of nine names of people it claims were Hamas militants killed in the strike, including three who were allegedly UNRWA employees. However, UNRWA has not been able to confirm this claim and says it has not received a request from Israel for the identities of the employees.

Juliette Touma, a spokeswoman for UNRWA, stated that the organization shares a list of its staff members in Gaza and the occupied West Bank with Israel every year and is not aware of any request for employee identities. The Israeli military’s spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani stated that they have asked for the identities of the six U.N. employees killed in the strike, but have not received them from the organization. 

Source:Read More