Israeli raid on Gaza school kills six Unrwa aid workers

Israel has bombed a UN school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza, killing at least 18 people, including the shelter manager and five other Unrwa staff.

- Emma Graham-Harrison

Al-Jaouni school in Nuseirat is home to about 12,000 displaced people, mostly women and children, the UN said. It has been hit five times since the start of the war in Gaza.

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, called the attack "totally unacceptable" and said it broke international laws that protect civilians in war. "These dramatic violations of international humanitarian law need to stop now," he said.

The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said he was "outraged" by the bombing. "The disregard of the basic principles of international humanitarian law, especially protection of civilians, cannot and should not be accepted by the international community," said Borrell.

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said Washington would continue to urge Israel to do more to spare humanitarian sites. "We need to see humanitarian sites protected," he told reporters while on a visit to Poland. "That's something we continue to raise with Israel."

Germany's foreign ministry also condemned the attack and called on Israel to protect UN staff and aid workers.

The UN Palestinian relief agency, Unrwa, turned its schools across Gaza into shelters as Israeli airstrikes and ground operations forced residents to flee their homes. An estimated 90% of people in Gaza are displaced, many moving to try to stay alive.