Israeli shelling on UN school on the Gaza Strip kills six

January 17, 2009

Doctors in the Gaza Strip say that at least six Palestinians were killed at a United Nations Nations Relief and Works Agency school in Beit Lahia after it was reportedly hit by at least one Israeli tank shell.

Two people were killed in the initial shelling, one woman and one child. four others were killed fleeing the school, when several other tank shells landed in the paths of their escape. The school was being treated as a temporary shelter as heavy fighting continued throughout the night. At least 1,600 people were inside at the time of the attack.

U.N. spokesman Chris Gunness says they condemn the attack and call for an investigation into possible war crimes. On Thursday January 8 the U.N. temporarily suspended all of its operations in Gaza, after the bombing of a convoy of humanitarian aid trucks which killed one Palestinian driver, and wounded three others. January 8 was the second day of attacks on U.N. targets after three U.N. schools housing refugees were bombed on Tuesday, killing over 50 civilians.

Nearly 1,200 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the Israeli offensive into Gaza, and more than 400 of those killed have been children. Israel claims it began its offensive in order to stop rockets that Hamas was firing into Israel. The Israeli military says that at least 13 their soldiers have been killed in the fighting.