Tunnel found in UNRWA health clinic
3 IDF soldiers killed in booby-trapped UNRWA clinic
UN chief says attack on UNRWA school is ‘unjustifiable’
Washington condemns shelling of UNRWA school
More details emerge on the booby-trapped tunnel uncovered in the southern Gaza Strip today:
An Israeli elite squad searching for tunnels near Khan Younis uncovers a booby-trapped opening in a small UNRWA health clinic.
The troops send in sniffing dogs and a small robot to minimize damage to the structure, but despite the precautionary measures, the explosives rigged to the tunnel are detonated, demolishing the building on top of the soldiers.
Earlier reports indicated that a number of soldiers were injured.
Brig. Gen. Micky Edelstein says militants have used more than a thousand IEDs so far, destroying thousands of buildings in the Gaza Strip.
For instance, he says, in sweeps of a single street of 28 buildings last night, 19 were found to be booby-trapped.
3 IDF soldiers killed in booby-trapped UNRWA clinic
Three IDF soldiers were killed on Wednesday in Gaza in an explosion at a booby-trapped UNRWA health clinic that housed the opening of a tunnel, the IDF’s Gaza Division commander, Brig. Gen. Micky Edelstein, said.
UN chief says attack on UNRWA school is ‘unjustifiable’
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemns an Israeli strike on a Gaza school that killed 16 people as “unjustifiable” Wednesday, calling for those responsible to be held to account.Sorry, Ban Ki-moon, but when UNRWA is repeatedly found storing rockets and weapons on its premises, some of which are also appear to be booby-trapped, it makes itself a legitimate target for ant-terrorism strikes.
“This morning a UN school sheltering thousands of Palestinian families suffered a reprehensible attack,” Ban says during a visit to Costa Rica.
“It is unjustifiable, and demands accountability and justice.”
Ban accuses the Israeli military of ignoring repeated communications on the location of the school.
“I want to make it clear that the exact location of this elementary school has been communicated to the Israeli military authorities 17 times, as recently as last night, just a few hours before this attack,” he says.
“They are aware of the coordinates and exact location of where these people are.”
Washington condemns shelling of UNRWA school
The United States is condemning the shelling of a UN school in the Gaza Strip that was sheltering displaced Palestinians.
The US did not say who was responsible for shelling the school. Gaza officials say Israel shelled the school, killing 15 and wounding 90. The Israeli military says it fired back after soldiers were targeted by mortar rounds launched from the vicinity of the school.
White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan says the US is also “extremely concerned” that thousands of Palestinians aren’t safe in UN-designated shelters in Gaza.
Meehan says the US also condemns those responsible for hiding weapons in UN facilities in Gaza. She says the escalation shows the need for a ceasefire as soon as possible.
