The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) on Friday expressed its sadness over the death of one of its students during the recent Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip.
IN A PRESS RELEASE RECEIVED BY THE PALESTINE NEWS NETWORK, UNRWA SAID IT HOPED THAT THE CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT REACHED IN GAZA ON THE NIGHT OF NOVEMBER 13 WOULD PUT AN END TO THE TWO-DAY ESCALATION.
The unrwa statement reads:
Press release
UNRWA mourns young student at one of her schools in Gaza
15 November 2019
Gaza
UNRWA hopes that the ceasefire agreement reached on the night of November 13 will put an end to the two-day escalation between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.
The israeli military operations reportedly killed 34 Palestinians, including eight children, and injured dozens as a result of Israeli aerial bombardments.
"We are already saddened by the death of one of our students. Amir Rafat Ayad was a second-year student at UNRWA´s Olive School," said Matthias Shamli, UNRWA´s director of operations in Gaza. With their childhood, they prepare for the future."
"We must recognize and address the psychological and social consequences of the situation and the constant fears and traumas that such escalations have on the population," he said. All 22 UNRWA health centres continued to operate throughout the hostilities, while the Agency closed all 276 of its 276 schools in Gaza for three days in an effort to reduce the risk to its students and staff. UNRWA´s First and Second Shujaiya Mixed School suffered minor damage on 12 November because of its location near a house that was targeted by israel.
We remain on high alert and hope that the ceasefire will last. We also hope that all our services will be fully operational. The majority of the population in the Gaza Strip, about 1.4 million of the 1.9 million people, are registered refugees from Palestine and rely heavily on UNRWA for health, education, relief and protection services," he says.
