UN Chiefs Outraged at Attack on Another UN School in Gaza
AP, 30 July 2014
UNITED NATIONS (AP)
— Top U.N. officials are expressing shock and outrage at an attack on a U.N. school in Gaza that killed 16 people and injured more than 100.
Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson reiterated Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's demand for an immediate cease-fire in the escalating war between Israel and Hamas.
Eliasson expressed "shock and dismay" at the attack Wednesday morning and said an initial assessment by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees blamed Israeli artillery. He noted that an Israeli spokesman said Israel responded to mortar fire in the vicinity of the school.
Eliasson said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in Costa Rica, condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms, calling it "outrageous" and "unjustifiable."
More than 3,000 civilians had sought shelter at the school.
MORE:
UN Warned Israel SEVENTEEN Times that Bombed School was Housing Refugees
- Horror as Tank Strike Leaves 19 Palestinians Dead and 125 Injured
- Israeli tank strikes smash into UN school serving as a refugee shelter - pushing the Gaza death toll over 1,200
- UN aid chief blasts Israel, saying: 'This is a source of universal shame. Today the world stands disgraced'
- Some 200,000 Gazans have fled to UN schools following calls by Israel to evacuate homes ahead of bombings
- One refugee who survived latest attack cries: 'Where will we go next? We fled and the Israelis are following us'
- UN spokesman calls on international community to help stop the bloodshed, saying: 'No place is safe in Gaza'
- British Foreign Secretary offers no assurance of an imminent ceasefire 'if people are insisting on preconditions'
- Israeli military has declared a four-hour ceasefire in some areas of the Gaza Strip for humanitarian reasons
Israel was warned no fewer than 17 times that a school it destroyed with tank strikes killing 19 Palestinians and injuring 125 others had been housing refugees, the UN said today.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said children were killed as they slept next to their parents on the floor of a classroom in the Jabaliya refugee camp when shells smashed into the complex overnight.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl said it was the sixth time one of the organisation's schools had been struck by Israeli bombardments during the 23-day conflict.
In a furious response to the attack, he said: 'This is an affront to all of us, a source of universal shame. Today, the world stands disgraced.
'We know that there were multiple civilian deaths and injuries including of women and children and the UNRWA guard who was trying to protect the site.
'These are people who were instructed to leave their homes by the Israeli army.
'The precise location of the Jabalia Elementary Girls School and the fact that it was housing thousands of internally displaced people was communicated to the Israeli army seventeen times to ensure its protection - the last being at 8.50pm last night, just hours before the fatal shelling.'
Bombardment: Palestinians collect body parts in a classroom at the Abu Hussein
UN school in Jebaliya refugee camp which was hit by an Israeli tank strike
Shocking toll: Several Israeli tank shells slammed into the crowded UN school
used as shelter for refugees in Gaza, a Palestinian health official and a UN official said
Carnage: Gaza health official Ashraf al-Kidra said at least 15 people were killed and another 90 Palestinians were wounded in the shelling
At her wit's end: A desperate Palestinian woman throws debris in the air
at the bombed classroom where she is taking shelter with her family
He added: 'I condemn in the strongest possible terms this serious violation of international law by Israeli forces.'
His comments came as the Israeli military declared a four-hour ceasefire in some areas of the Gaza Strip for humanitarian reasons, starting at 3pm (1200GMT).
Hamas militants in Gaza had no immediate reaction to the military's announcement.
Some 200,000 displaced Gazans have sought refuge in UN schools following calls by Israel to evacuate their homes ahead of military operations only to find themselves under attack there anyway.
For many Palestinians, the feeling of helplessness living in a densely populated enclave under a seven-year blockade with nowhere to run or hide has left them on the brink of despair.
'Where will we go? cried 56-year-old Aishe Abu Darabeh outside the school in the Jebaliya refugee camp which had a few hours earlier served as her refugee shelter.
'Where will we go next? We fled and they (the Israelis) are following us.'
Targeting the innocent: The deadly strike came a day after Israel unleashed
its heaviest air and artillery assault in the bloodiest day of the three-week Gaza war
Destroyed: A large round hole was left in the ceiling of one classroom and in one
of the bathrooms, while in another classroom, the strike had blown out the front wall
Blitzed: Palestinians gather outside a classroom at the Abu Hussein UN school in the Jebaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip
No end in sight: A terrified boy looks through a hole in the wall made after an Israeli tank shell at the Abu Hussein UN school in the Jebaliya refugee camp
The aftermath after a deadly tank strike hits school in Gaza:
Forty people died in Israeli strikes across Gaza today, including 16 at the
UN school in Jebaliya, sending the Palestinian toll from 23 days of fighting over 1,270.
The latest attacks dashed hopes of a ceasefire and forced the UN into another desperate call for the international community to step in.
Abu Hasna, the UN agency spokesman, said: 'It's the responsibility of the world to tell us what we shall do with more than 200,000 people who are inside our schools, thinking that the UN flag will protect them.
'This incident today proves that no place is safe in Gaza.'
Some 3,000 Palestinians, including many women and children, were taking refuge in the building in Jebalya refugee camp when it came under fire around dawn, Khalil al-Halabi, director of northern Gaza operations for UNRWA said.
'There were five shells - Israeli tank shells - which struck the people and killed many of them as they slept. Those people came to the school because it a designated U.N. shelter,' he said.
The Israeli military responded by saying Hamas militants near the facility had fired mortar bombs and Israeli forces had shot back.
A military spokeswoman said: 'Earlier this morning, militants fired mortar shells at (Israeli) soldiers from the vicinity of the UNRWA school in Jebalya (refugee camp).
'In response, soldiers fired towards the origins of fire, and we're still reviewing the incident.'
The military said it has also given civilians a chance to leave dangerous areas by sending warnings in phone calls and leaflets.
Aircraft dropped leaflets over Gaza City's Rimal neighborhood, urging residents to stay away from Hamas militants and to report possible rocket launches.
The leaflet gave a contact phone number and e-mail.
It read: 'The Israeli Defense Forces are going into a new phase in the coming operation and does not want to harm civilians.
'The army is warning residents in the areas where the operation will take place that for your safety, you have to keep away from terrorists and the locations from which they operate.'
Indiscriminate bombing: A Palestinian child wounded in an Israeli strike
on a UN school in Beit Lahia is treated at Kamal Edwan hospital in Beit Lahia
Terrified: A child cries as he is treated at Kamal Edwan hospital in Beit Lahia after the Israeli tank strike targeted a UN refugee shelter
Any hope of a ceasefire were earlier dashed when Mohammed Deif, the shadowy leader of Hamas's armed wing, insisted Palestinians would continue confronting Israel until its blockade on Gaza was lifted.
In a recorded message on television, Deif said: 'The occupying entity will not enjoy security unless our people live in freedom and dignity.
'There will be no ceasefire before the (Israeli) aggression is stopped and the blockade is lifted.
Quote:
'THE WORLD STANDS DISGRACED': UN AID CHIEF PIERRE KRAHENBUHL'S REACTION TO SCHOOL STRIKE IN FULL
Last night, children were killed as they slept next to their parents on the floor of a classroom in a UN designated shelter in Gaza.
Children killed in their sleep. This is an affront to all of us, a source of universal shame. Today the world stands disgraced.
We have visited the site and gathered evidence. We have analysed fragments, examined craters and other damage. Our initial assessment is that it was Israeli artillery that hit our school, in which 3,300 people had sought refuge.
We believe there were at least three impacts. It is too early to give a confirmed official death toll.
But we know that there were multiple civilian deaths and injuries including of women and children and the UNRWA guard who was trying to protect the site.
These are people who were instructed to leave their homes by the Israeli army.
The precise location of the Jabalia Elementary Girls School and the fact that it was housing thousands of internally displaced people was communicated to the Israeli army seventeen times, to ensure its protection; the last being at 8.50pm last night, just hours before the fatal shelling.
I condemn in the strongest possible terms this serious violation of international law by Israeli forces.
This is the sixth time that one of our schools has been struck. Our staff, the very people leading the humanitarian response are being killed.
Our shelters are overflowing. Tens of thousands may soon be stranded in the streets of Gaza, without food, water and shelter if attacks on these areas continue.
We have moved beyond the realm of humanitarian action alone. We are in the realm of accountability.
I call on the international community to take deliberate international political action to put an immediate end to the continuing carnage.
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Stunned: A Palestinian man carries a wounded girl at the Kamal Adwan hospital
in Beit Lahiya after receiving treatment for her wounds caused by the Israeli strike
Horrendous: A young Palestinian boy reacts as he sees the body of a relative who died when the UN school came under Israeli attack
Quote:
WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL BLOCKADE IS LIFTED, SAYS DEFIANT HAMAS LEADER IN BLOW TO CEASEFIRE DEAL
Mohammed Deif, the shadowy leader of Hamas's armed wing, said Palestinians would continue confronting Israel until its blockade on Gaza - which is supported by neighbouring Egypt - was lifted.
In a bid to boost Palestinian spirits and demoralise Israel, Hamas TV aired footage it said showed the group's fighters using a tunnel to reach an Israeli army watchtower on Monday.
They are seen surprising an Israeli sentry, opening fire and storming the watchtower compound to surround a fallen soldier.
In a rare message, recorded on television, Deif said: 'The occupying entity will not enjoy security unless our people live in freedom and dignity.
'There will be no ceasefire before the (Israeli) aggression is stopped and the blockade is lifted. We will not accept interim solutions.'
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He said the UK was involved in work behind the scenes on an Egyptian peace plan which could lead to wider discussions on the issues underlying the conflict.
'What we are saying to both sides, what the United Nations are saying to both sides, what the whole international community is saying to both sides, is that the humanitarian necessity must come first.
'We must stop the bloodshed now by an unconditional ceasefire by both sides.'
The outer wall of the complex had also been damaged and a number of dead animals including donkeys could be seen lying on the ground.
Israel's military said it had struck 75 sites, including five mosques it claimed were being used by militants in a sustained bombardment on Gaza.
About two hours after the strike, hundreds of people still crowded the courtyard, some dazed, others wailing.
Four of the dead were killed just outside the school compound, two in their home and two who were struck in the street after returning from pre-dawn prayers, their relatives said.
The bodies of two members of the al-Najar family, 56-year-old Shaher and his 41-year-old brother, Bassem, were laid out in one of the rooms of their small home, surrounded by wailing relatives.
Outside the gate, another relative held on to his crying son, hugging him tight and saying: 'I'm here, I'm not going anywhere.'
The deadly strike came a day after Israel unleashed its heaviest air and artillery assault in the bloodiest day of the three-week Gaza war, destroying key symbols of Hamas control, shutting down the territory's only power plant and leaving at least 128 Palestinians dead.
Living in fear: A Palestinian woman and her son seek treatment in hospital after being
injured in the tank strike on the UN school where they were taking shelter
Victims: Israeli bombardments killed 'dozens' of Palestinians in Gaza,
including at least 16 at a UN school, medics said, on day 23 of the Israel-Hamas conflict
Macabre: Palestinians mourn next to the bodies of relatives who died when a
UN school used as a shelter for internally displace people came under Israeli shelling
Targeted while seeing shelter: The bodies of those killed in an Israeli strike on
a UN school in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip are lined up at Kamal Edwan hospital
Heartache: A Palestinian woman mourns the death of a family member at a hospital morgue in Beit Lahita in the northern Gaza Strip
It also also comes days after eight Palestinian children were killed playing on swings in the Shati refugee camp on the edge of Gaza City when a huge explosion obliterated the site.
Palestinian medics said two adults were also killed in the blast, which witnesses said was an Israeli air strike.
However, Israel denied responsibility, claiming it was a misfire of a rocket launched by Hamas militants that landed in the school courtyard.
Desecrated:
Palestinians walk next to the collapsed minaret of mosque in Gaza City which was destroyed in an overnight Israeli air strike
Grim task:
Palestinian rescue workers search for victims in a building destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Rafah in the southern end of the Gaza strip
Razed to the ground: Satellite images show the destruction caused by Israeli
bombing in the Gaza Strip including areas of Beit Hanun, Gaza City, Tuffah and Shejaiya
Propaganda push: Leaflets fall from an Israeli plane warning residents in
Gaza City to stay away from Hamas militants and to report possible rocket launches
The leaflets said: 'The Israeli Defense Forces are going into a new phase in the coming operation and does not want to harm civilians'
Call to arms: Islamic fighters from the Al-Nusra Front parade at the Yarmuk
Palestinian refugee camp, south of Damascus, to denounce Israel's military offensive in Gaza
Islamic fighters from the Al Qaeda group in the Levant, Al-Nusra Front, carry a
movement's banner bearing a drawing of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock mosque with the Arabic slogan:
'We fight in Syria... and our eyes are on Jerusalem as they parade at the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp
On the front line: Israeli soldiers carry their equipment after leaving Gaza
where they took part in military operations in an escalation of the assault on Palestinians
Army and ready: Israeli soldiers huddle in a circle at a staging area before entering Gaza as air strikes and tank shelling killed 43 Palestinians
The latest deadly strike came as Israel intensified its air and artillery assault on what it says are Hamas targets in Gaza.
Israel has vowed to stop the Hamas rocket and mortar fire that has reached increasingly deeper into its territory and to destroy a sophisticated network of Hamas military tunnels used for attacks in Israel.
For its part, Hamas has so far rejected cease-fire efforts unless its demands are met, including a lifting of a punishing blockade.
The military said that since fighting began July 8, Israeli forces have hit 4,100 targets in Gaza, about one-third connected to the militants' ability to launch rockets at Israel.
An army statement said that since Tuesday morning, troops have demolished three more tunnels leading from Gaza to Israel. Hamas has used such tunnels to sneak into Israel to carry out attacks.
The army said 32 tunnels have so far been located but did not say how many remain.
Since July 8, more than 1,258 Gazans, most of them civilians, have been killed in the conflict and more than 7,100 injured.
On the Israeli side, 53 soldiers have been killed as well as three civilians.
Obliterated: Smoke rises from Tuffah neighbourhood after Israeli air strikes
in response to a barrage of Palestinian rockets after an attempted truce for Eid crumbled
Blitzed: An explosion from an Israeli strike lights up the skyline in eastern
Gaza City amid Israel's heaviest air and artillery assault in more than three weeks
Flashpoint: A ball of fire rises following an Israeli military strike on the outskirts of Gaza City on day 23 of the Israel-Hamas conflict
PREVIOUS REPORTS -IN BRIEF- ON OTHER INNOCENT TARGETS HIT BY BOMBS FROM ISRAEL:
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel acknowledged Sunday that troops fired a mortar shell that hit the courtyard of another U.N. school in Gaza last week
Palestinian officials have said three Israeli tank shells hit the school in the town of Beit Hanoun last Thursday, killing 16 people and wounding dozens. It was one of the single deadliest incidents during three weeks of Israel-Hamas fighting.
The school was one of dozens used to house tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by heavy fighting, especially in areas of Gaza bordering Israel.
The U.N. aid agency that operates the schools called for a full investigation.
"It is important in a case like this where a U.N. school in which hundreds of people took refuge is hit in this way, that there should be full transparency and accountability," Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said Sunday.
He noted that when the U.N. agency attempted to conduct its own investigation, "the mission was aborted after a firing incident at the school." Gunness did not say who he believed was responsible for that fire.
He said the school had been clearly marked as a U.N. shelter, and that the Israeli military was aware of its location.
On Thursday, the U.N. made numerous phone calls to the army to request a pause for the evacuation of civilians, but that the request was not granted.
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At least 100 Palestinians died in one day as Israeli tanks destroyed Gaza's only power plant. Israel knocked out the power plant in an air strike, and cut off electricity in Al-Shifa hospital, threatening the lives of hundreds of hospital patients.
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In a previous attack Israel bombed another hospital, killing/injuring many patients and hospital staff, announcing Hamas were hiding arms at the hospital - No arms were found