Latest news with #JorgeMoreiradaSilva
Sky News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
IDF admits responsibility for deadly attack on UN building last month
The Israeli military has admitted its troops were behind the deadly shelling of a UN guest house in Gaza last month, after previously denying responsibility. On 19 March, the building in Deir al Balah belonging to the UN's Office for Project Services (UNOPS) was attacked, killing a Bulgarian UN staff member and injuring six other international workers. The picture below shows the damage sustained by the building, with a large hole in one wall. The UN said the building was fired on by an Israeli tank, an allegation that the Israeli military previously denied. In a statement today, 24 April, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) admitted that one of its tanks had struck the building and said it had passed preliminary findings to UN representatives. "The building was struck due to assessed enemy presence and was not identified by the forces as a UN facility," the statement says. "We express our deep sorrow for the loss and send our condolences to the family." At the time of the attack, however, UNOPS chief Jorge Moreira da Silva said that Israel knew the location of the building and who was working there. "This was not an accident," he said. Sky News understands that the IDF had been previously informed that the building belonged to the UN, and that this is being investigated by the IDF. The admission of responsibility comes as Israel is under increasing pressure over the deaths of aid workers in Gaza. Sky News reported last month that attacks on aid workers had risen to the highest level in almost a year. 2:43 Israel has faced particular criticism over its troops' killing of 15 unarmed aid workers on 23 March, and the subsequent decision to bury their bodies in a mass grave. The IDF said that its investigation into the attack on the UN guest house is still ongoing, and that the full results would be presented to the UN. The UN has been approached for comment. The IDF declined to comment when approached by Sky News. 19:54
Egypt Today
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
2 French nationals ‘seriously wounded' in Israeli airstrikes on UN buildings in Gaza
CAIRO – 21 March 2025: France's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs reported on Friday that two French nationals employed by the United Nations were 'seriously wounded' in Israeli airstrikes on several buildings housing UN personnel in Gaza. The ministry expressed France's distress and condemned the attack, while praising the 'enormous courage' of humanitarian workers in assisting civilian populations in Gaza and across the world, risking their lives. An Israeli airstrike on a UN headquarters in central Gaza City on Wednesday killed a foreign national and injured five other foreign UN workers, according to the Gaza health ministry. The victims were transferred to Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital in Central Gaza's Deir Al-Balah. This attack is part of an extensive military strikes launched by Israeli forces early Tuesday in Gaza, shattering a ceasefire that had lasted nearly two months and paused a war that has claimed over 49,600 Palestinian lives since 2023. Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services, stated, 'Israel knew that this was a UN premises, that people were living, staying and working there, it is a compound. It is a very well-known place." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a full investigation, noting that at least 280 UN workers have been killed since the war began in Gaza.
Dubai Eye
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
After airstrikes, Israel says it has launched new ground operation in Gaza
The Israeli military said on Wednesday its forces resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, as a second day of airstrikes killed at least 48 Palestinians, according to local health workers. The renewed ground operations came a day after more than 400 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes in one of the deadliest episodes since the beginning of the conflict in October 2023, shattering a ceasefire that has largely held since January. The Israeli military said its operations extended Israel's control over the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects Gaza, and were a "focused" manoeuvre aimed at creating a partial buffer zone between the north and the south of the enclave. Hamas said the ground operation and the incursion into the Netzarim Corridor were a "new and dangerous violation" of the two-month-old ceasefire agreement. In a statement, the group reaffirmed its commitment to the deal and called on mediators to "assume their responsibilities". The United Nations said a strike killed a foreign staffer and wounded five workers at a UN site in central Gaza City on Wednesday. Gaza's health ministry attributed the strike to Israel, but Israel denied this, saying it hit a Hamas site where it detected preparations for firing into Israeli territory. Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the UN Office for Project Services, said: "Israel knew that this was UN premises, that people were living, staying and working there, it is a compound. It is a very well-known place." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a full investigation and condemned all attacks on UN personnel. In a statement he said the strike brought to at least 280 the number of UN colleagues killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. In Sofia, the foreign ministry said a Bulgarian working for the UN died on Wednesday in Gaza, citing preliminary information. Israel, which has vowed to eradicate Hamas, said on Tuesday that its latest onslaught in Gaza was "just the beginning". Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching the truce, which had offered a respite for Gaza's 2.3 million residents after 17 months of war reduced the enclave to rubble and forced most of its population to evacuate multiple times. The Israeli campaign has killed more than 49,000 people in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say, and caused a humanitarian crisis with shortages of food, fuel and water. Israel has accused Hamas of using Palestinian civilians as human shields. Hamas denies this and accuses Israel of indiscriminate bombings.
Egypt Today
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Israeli forces resume Gaza ground operations after airstrikes shattered ceasefire, killed hundreds
A file photo of Israeli soldiers in Gaza - WAFA CAIRO – 20 March 2025: The Israeli military announced on Wednesday the resumption of ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, extending to the Netzarim Corridor that bisects Gaza. The renewed operations follow waves of Israeli airstrikes that have battered Gaza over the past 48 hours, killing Hamas officials alongside hundreds of individuals across the enclave, the majority of whom are women and children. According to the Gaza health ministry, more than 436 people have been killed, including 183 children and 94 women, raising the total death toll since the start of the Israeli war in October 2023 to over 49,500. On Wednesday, Israeli attacks also struck a UN site in central Gaza City, killing a foreign staff member and injuring five other foreign workers, according to the ministry. Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services, stated, 'Israel knew that this was a UN premises, that people were living, staying and working there, it is a compound. It is a very well-known place." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a full investigation, noting that at least 280 UN workers have been killed since the war began in Gaza. DIVIDING GAZA The Israeli army indicated that the new ground operations aim to establish a partial buffer zone between the northern and southern parts of Gaza. Hamas condemned these moves, holding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fully responsible for the repercussions of the ground incursion into the Netzarim Corridor. The Palestinian movement warned that this action constitutes 'a new and dangerous violation of the signed ceasefire agreement.' On Tuesday, Israel shattered a ceasefire with Hamas that had been in place since January 19, resuming airstrikes and interrupting ongoing negotiations regarding the future of the agreement. Under the first phase of the agreement, which expired on March 1, Hamas released 30 living captives and the bodies of eight of the deceased in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas expressed readiness to free all remaining captives in one go if Israel agrees to end the war, as stipulated by the second phase of the agreement, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US. However, Israel has avoided transitioning to this phase, opting instead to call for an extension of the expired first phase to facilitate the release of additional captives in exchange for continued delivery of aid into Gaza without the obligation to end the war. Hamas stated it will not release more captives except under the second phase, leading Israel to cut humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, which is facing alarming levels of hunger, as well as to cut off power supply to the enclave. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a "last warning" to Gaza on Wednesday, demanding the return of the remaining hostages or facing 'total destruction and devastation.' Hamas still holds 59 captives in Gaza, including at least 22 believed to be alive. In remarks on Tuesday evening, Netanyahu asserted that Israeli forces will strike Hamas with "increasing force," stating that future ceasefire talks, facilitated by mediators, will "only take place under fire." Hamas said the recent Israeli strikes have overturned the ceasefire agreement, blaming Washington for the 'massacres and killings of women and children in Gaza' due to the US's 'unlimited political and military support' for the Israeli government. The US State Department blamed the resumption of war in Gaza on Hamas, highlighting a US-crafted 'bridge' proposal for a ceasefire extension in exchange for the return of captives. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in a Fox News interview that Israel consulted President Donald Trump's administration before launching the airstrikes on Gaza. 'As President Trump has made clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, and all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel but also the United States will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,' she remarked.
Al Arabiya
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Israel says investigating UN worker's death in Gaza
Israel launched an investigation into a UN worker's death in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, a foreign ministry spokesman said, after the military denied responsibility for the deadly blast. The UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) announced the death of one of its employees in Gaza when a UN building in the central city of Deir el-Balah was hit by an unidentified piece of 'explosive ordnance.' The incident, which UNOPS said also left five people injured, came as Israel renewed its intense bombardment of the Palestinian territory, carrying out the deadliest wave of attacks since a January truce in its war against militant group Hamas. UNOPS chief Jorge Moreira da Silva said in a statement that he was 'shocked and devastated' by the staff member's death. 'This was not an accident,' he said, adding that 'attacks against humanitarian premises are a breach of international law' and that UN personnel and premises 'must be protected by all sides.' Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said in a statement on X that 'we express sorrow over the death of the Bulgarian citizen, a UN worker, today in the Gaza Strip.' 'The circumstances of the incident are being investigated,' Marmorstein added, stressing that 'the initial examination found no connection... whatsoever' to Israeli military activity. Bulgaria's foreign ministry said that one of its citizens working for the United Nations was killed in Gaza, without specifying where in the territory. The wounded were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, AFPTV footage from Deir el-Balah showed. Marmorstein said that Israeli troops were 'assisting in evacuating the body and the wounded, who will be treated in hospitals in Israel.' United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres 'was deeply saddened and shocked to learn of the death of a United Nations Office for Project Services staff member, when two UN guesthouses in Deir el-Balah were hit in strikes,' said spokesman Farhan Haq. He added that at least 280 UN employees had been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023. 'Protect' UN staff AFPTV images showed two men who appeared to have leg injuries, and a third with bandages on both arms and his abdomen and traces of blood on his chest. Two of the injured were wearing bulletproof vests, with one wearing a T-shirt of UNMAS, the United Nations Mine Action Service, underneath. The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory earlier said an Israeli strike was to blame. An army spokesperson told AFP that 'there was no IDF (military) operational activity there and that the IDF didn't strike the UN compound.' A UN source had initially said a second employee was killed. Haq said that was not the case, but that one of the five injured employees was in very critical condition. He did not provide the nationality of the dead employee. 'The locations of all UN premises are known to the parties to the conflict, who are bound by international law to protect them and maintain their absolute inviolability,' Haq said. 'The secretary-general strongly condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation,' he added. Haq said it was too early to 'determine responsibility,' but that the explosion was not the result of a mine or unexploded ordnance, but rather an explosive that was 'either dropped or fired at the infrastructure and detonated inside the building.' 'We do not know whether it was fired from land, from the sea, from the air,' he said.
