UN warns Gaza remains unsafe for civilians

New York: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that Gaza remains unsafe for civilians, as shootings and other military attacks continue, including in places where children are trying to learn. ''Today in Gaza city, humanitarians report that a sixth-grade student was hit by a bullet and injured in a tented classroom. The child was taken to the hospital. Yesterday, farther north in Beit Lahia, Israeli forces reportedly demolished homes, as well as the last remaining school in what was previously a four-school compound,'' OCHA said in a statement today. Last week, it added, Israeli forces had already advanced towards the area, which is between the agreed deployment line known as the "Yellow Line” and the Israeli "Orange” coordination line, which marks areas where restrictions apply on the movement of humanitarian staff. ''At the time, troops destroyed the tents of nearly a dozen families sheltering in the schoolyard and placed new cement blocks nearby, marking a further expansion of areas where Israeli authorities have imposed access restrictions. Humanitarian partners rapidly mobilized support for people who were displaced,'' it said. OCHA stressed that under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected and should not be targeted. Learning spaces must remain safe and protected environments for students and teachers. Today in the West Bank, OCHA said Israeli authorities demolished parts of a school in the Masafer Yatta area of southern Hebron, where more than 1,000 Palestinian residents are under pressure to leave. Across the West Bank, more than 80 Palestinian schools are currently subject to demolition or related orders. So far this year, partners working on education have reached more than 60,000 students in the West Bank through remedial and catch-up learning programmes. They rehabilitated 30 schools; provided transportation assistance and other protective measures to more than 2,600 students and education personnel in high-risk areas; and delivered education-specific cash assistance, psychosocial support and legal aid.