The United Nations condemned an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Jawni school in Gaza, which killed 18 people, including UN staffers. Israel’s military claimed the school was a Hamas control center used for planning attacks.

The UNRWA reported six staffers killed in the strikes, marking the highest death toll among its team in a single incident.

The IDF identified nine Hamas operatives killed in the strike, including three UNRWA staffers, the Times of Israel has reported.

UN officials condemned the repeated targeting of schools and called for the protection of UN facilities by all parties.

Israel maintains that Hamas uses civilian sites as shields.

Written by B.C. Begley