ISTANBUL

Two French nationals were seriously injured in an attack on a United Nations building in Gaza, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Thursday.

"A violent attack has struck a United Nations building in Gaza, killing a European staff member and seriously injuring two of our compatriots," Barrot wrote on X.

He added that French diplomatic services, including the country’s consulate, are fully mobilized to assist the injured and provide support to those affected.

"An investigation must be launched immediately," he stressed.

The Israeli army closed the Salah al-Din Street on Wednesday in a move denounced by Hamas as a “total overturn” of a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

More than 700 Palestinians were killed and over 900 others injured in a surprise aerial campaign by Israel on Gaza since Tuesday, shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli military campaign in Gaza since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.