Gaza refugees killed as Israel destroys UN school
Heavy fighting continues around Gaza City
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Tuesday, 06, Jan 2009 07:16
Up to 40 Palestinians have been killed after the United Nations-run school they were taking shelter in was destroyed by Israeli tank fire, it has been claimed.
Hospitals in the Gaza Strip claimed dozens had died in the strike upon the al-Falluj school in the Jabaliya refugee camp.
Footage taken by Reuters journalists showed bodies, shrapnel and pools of blood where the tank shells had struck the camp.
The Israeli army said it was looking into the reports.
In London, prime minister Gordon Brown admitted the situation in Gaza was now a "humanitarian crisis".
He told journalists at No 10 he wanted the international community to build the framework for an "immediate and sustainable ceasefire", dubbing the current crisis the Middle East's "darkest moment".
And in the US, president-elect Barack Obama broke his silence over the conflict, responding to the attack upon the UN school by saying the loss of civilian life in Gaza and Israeli was "a source of deep concern".
Earlier, heavy fighting continued around Gaza City as Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, which it considers a hostile entity, entered its 11th day.
More than 600 Palestinians are reported to have been killed since the offensive was launched on December 27th, with almost 70 killed during clashes on Tuesday.
The Israeli military reported on Tuesday morning that three of its soldiers were killed and 24 more wounded in battles around Gaza City last night, after a tank fired on its own position.
Foreign diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have failed to achieve anything of note so far, despite French president Nicolas Sarkozy's talks with local leaders on Monday.
He travelled to Damascus earlier today along with an EU delegation in an attempt to persuade Syria to try and influence leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas into accepting a ceasefire.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is set to attend a United Nations security council meeting on Tuesday, along with foreign ministers from Britain, France, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to discuss the crisis.
Israel claims its military action is in response to the continual rocket fire by the militants across the border and has stated it will only cease the offensive once the rocket fire stops.
Aid agencies have spoken of the appalling conditions faced in Gaza while trying to deal with the mounting casualties from the Israeli bombardments.
Reports suggest the Israeli military has closed in on Gaza City while also expanding operations south to the town Khan Younis, while there also accounts of naval ships firing upon the coastal town of Deir al-Balah early on Tuesday.