Guterres shocked by deadly strikes on UN schools in Gaza

UNITED NATIONS — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday that he was "deeply shocked" that two UN schools were struck in less than 24 hours in the Gaza Strip, killing and injuring dozens of people—many women and children—"as they were seeking safety in United Nations premises."

"Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians are seeking shelter at United Nations facilities throughout Gaza due to the intensified fighting. I reaffirm that our premises are inviolable," Guterres said in a statement.

He said the war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants, who run Gaza, was causing a "staggering and unacceptable number of civilian casualties" and again called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

Earlier, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Saturday it had received "horrifying" images and footage of scores of people killed and injured in an attack on an UNRWA school in the north of Gaza.

I watched with sheer horror reports from an attack on the al-Fakhoura @UNRWA school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza. It is just cruel.

In less than 24 hours, two @UNRWA schools sheltering displaced families were hit in the #GazaStrip

My full Statement ??https://t.co/siiMUVq07z

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) November 19, 2023

No one & nowhere is safe in????#Gaza

Shelters meant to provide safety & protection to civilians have been hit, killing many people, including children

These acts not only blatantly contravene the rules of war, they also show a total disregard for humanityhttps://t.co/ZeGyYsEE4n pic.twitter.com/ma8ge56ELe

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) November 19, 2023

"These attacks cannot become commonplace, they must stop. A humanitarian ceasefire cannot wait any longer," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on social media platform X.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment. — Reuters