Israel asks UNRWA to evacuate five schools in Gaza

Israel asked United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to evacuate five of its schools in the Gaza Strip, Al Arabiya reported Friday.

The organization said this meant its facilities “are no longer safe.”

“We did what we could to protest and reject this decision, but this means that from now these facilities are no longer safe,” said an UNRWA statement, calling on thousands of people in and around the schools to flee.

UNRWA said Israel had told it to evacuate the five schools “as fast as possible.”

All of the schools are in Gaza City, close to Al-Quds Hospital, which has also been asked to be evacuated.