A foreign worker who was wounded in an Israeli strike on a United Nations headquarters site is brought into the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, 19 March 2025.
An Israeli reservist has admitted in a recent interview that his unit has been involved in destroying mosques and United Nations offices inside the Gaza Strip.
In a recorded conversation with American investigative journalist Jeremy Loffredo, the reservist stated, “We have been training for one month and then we got inside Gaza."
He went on to describe his unit’s mission, saying that their job was to blow up houses, "mosques, and UN offices.”
“I remember we got into some UN office that was in charge of helping families in Gaza that were affected by the war — and we destroyed it,” he added.
Loffredo posted the interview on his X (formerly Twitter) page just one day after the Israeli military claimed it had not targeted UN facilities in Gaza
Screenshot of Loffredo's post on X
On March 19, the Israeli military claimed, “Contrary to reports, the IDF did not strike the UN compound in Deir al-Balah.”
However, on that same day, two UN guesthouses in Deir al-Balah were struck, resulting in the death of a staff member from the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and injuries to five others.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed shock and sorrow over the incident.
“The Secretary-General 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 al Balah were hit in strikes,” his spokesperson said in a statement.
“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.”
Guterres also extended condolences to the victim’s family and noted that at least 280 UN personnel have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
The Gaza-based resistance movement Hamas condemned the Israeli attack as a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” calling it part of Israel’s systematic targeting of civilians and aid workers.
The group criticized Israeli regime for seeking to terrorize relief staff and worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, saying that hundreds of UNRWA and aid personnel have already been killed during the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Gaza’s Government Media Office also denounced the Israeli strike on the UN center, calling it a deliberate attempt to obstruct humanitarian assistance.
“This crime (is) part of a deliberate policy targeting UN and humanitarian institutions to prevent them from fulfilling their duty to assist the Palestinian people," the office said in a statement.
It urged the United Nations to take decisive action and called for an urgent international investigation to hold Israeli regime accountable.
