The UN accusation prompted a rare reprimand from the U.S.
Israel says it’s investigating the possibility that Hamas fired the shells that slammed into a UN center housing refugees on Wednesday, killing 12 and wounding another 75 or so, even as UN officials say Israeli tanks did the shooting, and the U.S. expressed its “concern” over the incident.
The UN said two Israeli tank shells hit a UN-run training center in Khan Younis, now at the center of combat in southern Gaza, where as many as 30,000 people are sheltering, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more.
“After an inspection of operational systems, the IDF has now ruled out the possibility that the incident was caused by an airstrike or artillery fire by IDF forces,” the Israel Defense Forces replied to a query from The Times of Israel. “At the same time, the IDF is conducting an in-depth examination of ground forces’ activity in the area of the facility.”
While that leaves open the possibility that the shells did in fact come from Israeli forces, the military added that “the IDF is investigating the possibility that the strike was caused by Hamas fire.”
“This was tank fire against a UN building housing people seeking shelter under the United Nations flag,” Thomas White, the local head of the UN agency in Gaza, told Sky News, calling for the fighting to stop. In an interview with CNN, White said it was “very clear the Israeli army are not respecting their obligations under International Humanitarian Law," to take precautions to preserve civilian life.
As shelling continued near refuges and hospitals in Khan Younis on Thursday, White again called out Israel for disregarding civilian safety.
“Persistent attacks on civilian sites in Khan Younis are utterly unacceptable and must stop immediately. People are being killed and injured. As fighting intensifies around hospitals and shelters hosting the displaced, people are trapped inside and lifesaving operations are impeded,” White said in a statement on the agency’s website.
Philippe Lazzarini, UNWRA’s director, said the building hit on Wednesday was clearly marked as a UN facility.
The UN accusation prompted a rare reprimand from the U.S.
"We deplore today's attack on the U.N.'s Khan Younis training center,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said Wednesday. “Civilians must be protected, and the protected nature of U.N. facilities must be respected, and humanitarian workers must be protected so that they can continue providing civilians with the life-saving humanitarian assistance that they need," he added.
The IDF has been closing in on the center of Khan Younis in a massive military operation meant to shut Hamas’ remaining command and control centers there, and to flush Hamas commanders from an extensive tunnel network under the city where Israel believes they are hiding.
The IDF’s main target appears to be the area around Khan Younis’s long-standing refugee camp, which includes the Nasser and Al-Amal hospitals and also the UNRWA training center.
Residents reported fierce gun battles in the area, where the military said it had killed “numerous” squads of gunmen “with sniper, tank, and aerial fire,” the Times of Israel reported.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Thursday that Israel is targeting the Al-Amal Hospital for the fourth consecutive day, with “ongoing shelling and gunfire in the hospital's vicinity. “ They said a complete curfew around the hospital has blocked ambulances from delivering wounded for care.
Reuters reported that tens of thousands of homeless people sheltering in the UN compound are prepared to flee to Rafah, 15 km (nine miles) away on Gaza's southern edge, after Israeli tank forces nearby ordered all civilians inside to leave, citing U.N. officials.
Israeli forces had set a 5 p.m. local time Friday deadline for the compound to be emptied, said Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency. Over 30,000 people were packed inside the compound, she estimated.