As the death toll in Gaza stands at more than 1,700 people, the United States released a strong statement Sunday announcing it is “appalled” at an early Sunday attack outside an UNRWA school in Rafah where 3,000 displaced persons were being sheltered and in which 10 people were killed.
The UN school had been designated a protected location.
“The coordinates of the school, like all UN facilities in Gaza, have been repeatedly communicated to the Israel Defense Forces,” State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said in the statement. Using harsher and more direct language than usual, the statement reminds Israel that the country, “must do more to meet its own standards and avoid civilian casualties.”
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The permanent observer of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, spoke to David Gregory on Sunday’s “Meet the Press” about the latest UNRWA attack, stating he is “outraged at the killing of innocent civilians from any party from any side.” Mansour called for negotiations, saying that “If we allow for peace to take place, negotiation to take place … we will be able to move gradually from the situation of confrontation and fighting.”
Earlier Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared the attack a “moral outrage and criminal act,” stating that those responsible should be held accountable. This attack, along with two others targeting a UN-run school, are being investigated. “This madness must stop,” the statement read. Israel shelling killed at least 30 people today, bringing the death toll to above 1,700. More than 60 Israelis have died since the start of the current conflict on July 8.
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