Jerusalem – Four-year-old Israeli Killed ID’d, IDF Says Rocket Launched Near UNRWA School

Jerusalem – The IDF alleged on Friday night that the rocket that killed a four-year-old boy in the South was launched near an UNRWA school.

The incident occurred in a kibbutz in the Sha’ar Hanegev regional council. According to Channel 2, Palestinians in Gaza fired a barrage of mortars at the kibbutz, one of which exploded in a location near where the boy, who was later identified as Daniel Tregerman, was standing.

The boy sustained serious injuries, and rescue services rushed him to hospital. A short time later, he was pronounced dead.

UNRWA, an ostensibly neutral agency tasked with administering aid to Palestinian refugees throughout the region, adopted a political role in the heat of Operation Protective Edge, during which at least four of its facilities were badly damaged and many of their inhabitants killed. During the deadliest days of the war, UNRWA officials went on record accusing the Israeli government of violating international humanitarian law.

UNRWA also publicly declared the discovery of three caches of rockets stored in Gaza schools during the July battle. The organization did not identify a responsible party for the crime, however, noting that the schools used as weapons depots were “mothballed” for the summer months.

Media reports quickly surfaced suggesting UNRWA returned the recovered rockets to Hamas, but those claims were never independently unverified.