Over 20 rockets found hidden in school run by
United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza Strip • UNRWA says
incident "first of its kind in Gaza," apologizes to Israel • "There is
no line Hamas won't cross," Israel's U.N. envoy Ron Prosor says.
UNRWA Commissioner-General
Pierre Krahenbuhl
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Photo credit: UNRWA website |
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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency is
investigating the discovery of over 20 rockets hidden in one of its
schools in the Gaza Strip. The rockets were discovered during an
inspection held Thursday.
"Yesterday, in the course of the regular
inspection of its premises, UNRWA discovered approximately 20 rockets
hidden in a vacant school in the Gaza Strip," the agency said in a
statement. "UNRWA strongly condemns the group or groups responsible for
placing the weapons in one of its installations. This is a flagrant
violation of the inviolability of its premises under international law."
The statement said the incident was "the first
of its kind in Gaza," warning that it "endangered civilians including
staff and put at risk UNRWA's vital mission."
UNRWA said that the rockets had been removed from the premises safely and that the relevant parties had been informed.
UNRWA representatives, who were summoned by
the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem to provide it with clarifications on
the matter, reportedly apologized for the incident.
Israel has repeatedly warned that Hamas is
using homes and other civilian buildings for cover, essential forcing
Gazans to serve as human shields.
Hamas has repeatedly ordered civilians in the
Gaza Strip to ignore Israeli warnings to evacuate areas ahead of
military strikes. Last Tuesday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri urged
Gazans to act as human shields, saying it "has proved effective" in past
confrontations and that "it attests to the character of our noble,
jihad-fighting people who defend their rights and their homes with their
bare chests and their blood."
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor
called the incident "an outrage" saying, "Instead of enriching their
schools with textbooks to build a better society, Hamas is filling its
schools with terror and hate.
"This proves that there is no line Hamas won't cross.
Using [Palestinian] children as a propaganda tool is losing us the next
generation, which is the future leadership [in Gaza]," he said.
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