The strike on the UN-run Abu Arban site in central Gaza's Nusirat camp was the fifth in eight days on a school shelter.

Tel Aviv: In a major development in the Israel-Hamas war, Israeli jets used a United Nations school in the central Gaza city of Nuserat to attack several Hamas terrorists, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Sunday. Giving details, the Civil Defense Agency in Hamas-run Gaza said on Sunday that 15 people were killed in a battle at a displaced school shelter where Israeli forces said they had targeted “terrorists”.

The strike on the UN-run Abu Arban site in central Gaza's Nusirat camp was the fifth in eight days on a school shelter. According to the military, Hamas used the Abu Oraiban school as a hideout and point for direct attacks on Israeli soldiers.

Steps were taken to reduce the risk of collateral damage to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and other intelligence measures. Abu Oraiban School is run by the UN Relief and Works Agency.

UNRWA, which supports Palestinian refugees, has been under fire for months, with Israeli officials demanding the agency withdraw its authority in Gaza and defunding amid revelations that agency staff members took part in the October 7 attack by Hamas. The Israeli government is bypassing UNRWA in humanitarian aid distribution. Advanced legislation recently designated UNRWA as a “terrorist organization” by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee stripped the agency of its diplomatic immunity, tax-exempt status and other legal benefits.

Israel's largest bank froze UNRWA's account in February after the agency could not provide an adequate explanation for suspicious financial transfers. That same month, Israeli forces discovered a Hamas compound located beneath UNRWA's Gaza City headquarters and connected directly to the agency's power system. The facility contained numerous computer servers belonging to the terrorist group.

More than 100 survivors of the October 7 attack by Hamas have filed a $1 billion lawsuit against UNRWA, accusing the agency of “aiding and abetting” the terrorist group.

The Israel Lands Authority in May ordered UNRWA to vacate its Jerusalem offices for breach of lease.

Palestinian refugees are the only refugee population that has its own dedicated UN agency. Refugees in the rest of the world come under the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Israeli officials have called for the closure of UNRWA and for Palestinian refugees to be brought under UNHCR's responsibility.

On October 7, Hamas attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border killed at least 1,200 people and took 252 Israelis and foreigners hostage. Of the remaining 116 hostages, more than 30 are believed to be dead.

(with input from agencies)