The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, condemned today, Saturday, in the strongest terms the Israeli shelling of a school affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which shelters thousands of displaced persons in the Al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

Al-Budaiwi affirmed in a statement today, Saturday, "that the Israeli shelling that targeted a school housing displaced persons, resulting in dozens of martyrs and many injuries, is clear evidence of the brutality of the Israeli occupation forces and their blatant disregard for international charters, agreements, and treaties."

The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council called on "the international community to fulfill its responsibilities and pressure the Israeli occupation forces to stop their grave and dangerous violations against the brotherly Palestinian people," stressing "the necessity of taking stringent measures against these heinous crimes that contradict the most basic principles of international and humanitarian law."

Al-Budaiwi emphasized "the steadfast positions of the Council's countries regarding the Palestinian issue, as it is the central and foremost issue for Muslims and Arabs, and support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, according to the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions."

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) had called yesterday, Friday, for an urgent and swift investigation into the targeting of UNRWA facilities by the Israeli occupation forces, especially what occurred yesterday with the targeting of the Al-Nuseirat school in central Gaza, which shelters displaced persons.

Adnan Abu Hasnah, the spokesperson for UNRWA in Gaza, said in a statement to Cairo News Channel, "This is not the first time that the occupation forces have targeted UNRWA facilities; since the commencement of the military operation in Gaza, 179 UNRWA facilities have been completely or partially destroyed, and we have been subjected to approximately 370 attacks by the Israeli army, with around 192 UNRWA staff members killed and 470 displaced persons inside the agency's shelter centers."