Israel attacks Gaza Strip school used as shelter despite UN warning

Israel opened fire on a United Nations school designated as a safe zone despite the UN having provided the exact coordinates of the facility to the Israeli Defense Forces.

Al Jazeera reports that 15 people were killed when the school was struck by artillery fire. More than 200 were wounded. A UN representative told an Al Jazeera reporter that the UN had provided Israel with the exact GPS coordinates of the school shelter.

The representative said he could not confirm nor deny that Hamas fighters were nearby, but stressed that even if they were nearby, humanitarian law and the immunity of the UN must be honored.

He also said that while he could not say whether or not there were Hamas fighters operating nearby, the neutrality of the school could not be questioned because it was a UN funded, monitored, and operated facility

Hamas has previously stored rockets in UN schools, but that does not seem to be the case in this circumstance, as it was a designated sheltering space. Indeed, The Associated Press reports that the other schools where the UN discovered Hamas' rockets were vacant.

Al Jazeera notes that this is the fourth UN facility to be hit by Israeli fire since violence in the region erupted again 17 days ago.

The casualties continue to mount on both sides. So far more than 700 Palestinians have been killed, and 4,500 wounded as a result of Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardment.

Only two Israeli civilians have been killed despite Hamas having launched thousands upon thousands of rockets at Israeli territory. The barrage became so fierce, that international flights to and from Israel were temporarily stopped.

The invasion of the Gaza Strip has also seen 32 Israeli soldiers lose their lives in battles with Hamas fighters.