UNRWA finds rockets in vacant school, first incident of its kind in Gaza

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced Thursday that some 20 rockets had been discovered hidden in a vacant school in the Gaza Strip.

The UNRWA statement issued by spokesperson Chris Gunness said that those responsible were guilty of “a flagrant violation of the inviolability of its premises under international law”, noting that the incident is “the first of its kind in Gaza”.

On finding the rockets during a routine inspection, UNRWA said they “informed the relevant parties and successfully took all necessary measures for the removal of the objects in order to preserve the safety and security of the school”.

A UN source told Middle East Monitor that “those authorities we contacted are under the authority of the national unity government in Ramallah now that Hamas has effectively left the government.” They promised to ensure the message was passed to all parties not to violate UNRWA neutrality, the source added, and subsequently, police came to remove the weapons.

According to UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness, there will be a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident.