The director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner, said today that the office of the agency he represents was hit by an explosion last night in the Gaza Strip. left “a significant number of dead and wounded.”

“Last night, the UNDP/UN office in Gaza was bombed and there were reports of deaths and injuries among those who sought refuge in our compound. This is a mistake in every way. Civilians, civilian infrastructure and the integrity of UN facilities must always be protected,” Steiner said on his official X (formerly Twitter) account.

The UNDP said in a statement that “the explosion resulted in a significant number of deaths and injuries.” without providing more detailed information on the number of victims he also does not attribute the attack.

UNDP showed “deeply shocked for preliminary reports of the bombing of a United Nations building in Gaza City, which the UNDP Assistance Program for the Palestinian People was managing until October 13, when UN personnel evacuated the site.

UNDP reported this on November 6. several hundred asylum seekers entered the complexand there are indications that this number has increased significantly since then, the note noted.

The UN agency noted that “the ongoing tragedy of civilian deaths and injuries caught up in this conflict This is unacceptable and must end.”

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“Civilians, Civilian Infrastructure and the Security of UN Sites They must always be respected and protected. International humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution, must be respected and protected,” he said.

The war between Israel and Islamist groups in Gaza is currently in its 37th day. more than 11,000 dead in the Gaza Strip and more than 27,000 were injured, along with 1.5 million internally displaced people, more than half the enclave’s population.

The war began on October 7 following a brutal attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, which caused some 1200 dead (more than 300 soldiers) and 239 kidnapped.

The ground offensive in the Gaza Strip caused 35 Israeli casualties 16 days after the start of the invasion of the interior of the enclave.

(EFE)