Days Of Palestine – Gaza Strip

The United Nations Relief and Works (UNRWA) expressed on Friday its sadness over the killing by Israeli forces of one of its young students in Gaza, during the recent Israeli aggression on the coastal enclave which resulted in the death of 34 Palestinians, including eight children.

“We are truly saddened by the killing of one of our young students. Ameer Rafat Ayad was in second grade at the UNRWA Zaitoon Elementary School,” said Matthias Schmale, Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza. “It is completely unacceptable for civilians, especially children, to lose their lives in this terrible way; children who should be studying, enjoying their childhood and preparing for their future.”

He added that it is not just innocent civilians being killed or seriously injured that cause suffering.  “We have to recognize and address the psychological effects, the fear and the lasting trauma such escalations leave on the population,” said Schmale. 

“We remain in a heightened state of readiness and hope the ceasefire will last. We also hope to return all our services to full operation shortly. The majority of the population in the Gaza Strip, 1.4 million out of 1.9 million people, are registered Palestine refugees who depend heavily on UNRWA for health, education, relief and protection services,” said Schmale.