UN says four schools-turned-shelters in Gaza damaged in less than 24 hours
The UN says four of its schools in Gaza being used as shelters have been damaged in less than 24 hours after footage showed the aftermath of two blasts at schools earlier.
The agency said one was damaged at the Jabalia refugee camp, the largest in the Gaza Strip, reportedly killing at least 20 people and injuring five. It said another school at Beach - or Al-Shati - refugee camp was also damaged, with one child reportedly killed. Both locations are in the north of the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the agency said the incidents came after two days of heavy bombardment in the area.
It added: "Further south, two schools-turned-shelters in the Al Bureij Refugee Camp were hit. Two people were reportedly killed and 31 injured."
UN says nearly 20,000 people being hosted in four damaged shelters
The UN adds that these four damaged shelters altogether host nearly 20,000 people.
Its agency for Palestinian refugees says nearly 50 of its buildings have been impacted since 7 October, when Hamas launched its surprise attack in Israel, killing 1,400 and kidnapping more than 200 people. Israel has bombarded Gaza since with air strikes as it seeks to "destroy Hamas".
The UN says that, to date, 72 of its employees have been killed in Gaza, often with their families.
In a statement, it adds: “How many more? How much more grief and suffering? A humanitarian ceasefire is overdue for the sake of humanity.”
The agency says it is currently hosting 700,000 displaced people in dozens of facilities across the Gaza Strip.
A UN-run shelter in the Gaza Strip. (Reuters)
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