The director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner, stated this Sunday (12) that an office of the agency he represents was bombed on Saturday night (11) in the Gaza Strip, which left “a number significant number of deaths and injuries”.
“A UNDP/UN office in Gaza was bombed last night, with reports of deaths and injuries among those seeking safety in our compound. This is wrong in every way. The civilian population, civilian infrastructure and the sanctity of the facilities of the UN must always be protected”, said Steiner on his official account on the social network X, formerly Twitter.
In a statement, the UNDP indicated that “the bombing caused a significant number of deaths and injuries”, without providing further details on the number of victims or attributing the attack.
The UNDP was “deeply shocked by preliminary reports of the bombing of the United Nations compound in Gaza City, which UNDP’s Palestinian People’s Assistance Program managed until 13 October, when UN staff vacated the premises.”
On November 6, UNDP reported that several hundred people seeking shelter had entered the complex, and there are indications that this number has increased significantly since then, the note notes.
The UN agency noted that “the ongoing tragedy of deaths and injuries to civilians caught up in this conflict is unacceptable and must end.”
“The civilian population, civilian infrastructure and the inviolability of UN facilities must be respected and protected at all times. International humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution, must be respected and defended,” he said.
The war between Israel and Islamic militias in Gaza is currently in its 37th day, with more than 11,000 dead in the Strip and more than 27,000 injured, in addition to 1.5 million internally displaced people, more than half of the enclave’s population.
The war began on October 7, following a brutal attack by the Hamas group on Israeli soil that left around 1,200 dead – more than 300 soldiers – and 239 kidnapped.
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