UN official confirms Israeli soldiers launched attacks from inside Gaza school
A senior UN official has confirmed that the Israeli military turned a school in the Gaza Strip into a military base during July's ground offensive. The comments last week by Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Leila Zerrougui corroborate a report that was published in The Times on August 5 ('Invaders turn abandoned school into command base').
Addressing a Security Council debate on children and armed conflict, Zerrougui said 244 schools, including 75 UNRWA schools, "were shelled by Israel's armed forces", adding that "one school was used as a military base by the IDF." Although she did not name the school, it has been confirmed to me this was a reference to Hani Naim Agriculture Secondary School for Boys in Beit Hanoun.
Ben White
