UN relief agency spokesman bursts into tears over deaths of Palestinian children

A spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid to Palestinians in Gaza, broke down in tears during a TV interview in the aftermath of Wednesday’s fatal attack on a UN-run school, used as shelter.

Twenty people were reportedly killed after a shell hit the UNRWA school in Jabalia, Gaza, where 3,300 people had been taking refuge.

Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the UNRWA, was unable to check himself while giving an interview to Al Jazeera Arabic the same day.

“The rights of Palestinians, even their children, are wholesale denied,” he official said before breaking down sobbing in front of the camera.

VIDEO

LINK


In a promptly-released condemnatory statement, the UN said its evidence suggested Israel was behind the attack.

“Children killed in their sleep; this is an affront to all of us, a source of universal shame,” the statement read.

The attack in Jabalia was the sixth time UN-run schools have been hit during Israel's current campaign.

Gunness has lately been active on Twitter condemning what he described as “serious violation of international law by Israeli forces.”


The Israeli military said it was still investigating the incident, and claimed the troops had to fire back after Palestinian militants fired mortar shells from the vicinity of the UNRWA school.

Gaza officials say at least 1,361 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in the Israeli offensive on the enclave. Israel says it lost 56 soldiers in the conflict.