Gaza – United Nations officials had told the Israeli military 17 times that a school in Gaza’s biggest refugee camp was a shelter for Palestinian civilians fleeing fighting in the teeming coastal strip, but it was not enough to save them from deadly shelling.
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Blown to pieces as they huddled asleep on mattresses on classroom floors, at least 15 men, women and children were killed and more than 100 wounded when Israeli artillery fire struck Jabalya Girls Elementary School on Wednesday, U.N. officials said.
The victims had fled their homes in other battle zones hoping they would be safe under the blue-and-white U.N. flag.
Abdel-Karim al-Masamha, 27, said he and his family had come to the school after fleeing fighting near their home in the northern Gaza Strip.
“We did not find safety here,” he said. “People were martyred before our eyes. They were dismembered.”
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 15 people were killed at the school, where survivors gathered pieces of flesh for burial. The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said it was premature to issue an official death toll.
The Israeli army said militants near the building had fired mortar bombs and Israeli forces had shot back. “We’re still reviewing the incident,” a military spokeswoman said.
But UNRWA chief Pierre Krahenbuhl said the agency had given the school’s precise location to the Israeli military 17 times, with the last notification made just hours before the shelling.
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms this serious violation of international law by Israeli forces,” he said in a statement.
At the edge of the schoolyard, some 20 donkeys lay dead, still tied to a railing.
Jabalya, which has been under Israeli fire for the past 24 hours, is the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Its population of 120,000 has been swollen by Palestinians trying to escape fighting between Israel and militant groups in the 23-day-old conflict.
“There is no safety at all, no place is safe, neither homes nor schools,” said Haleema Ghabin, holding her infant son at the school. “What shall I say to the world? Find us a solution, we are defenceless civilians and children.”
Khalil al-Halabi, director of UNRWA’s northern Gaza operations, said some 3,000 Palestinians were taking refuge in the school when it came under fire.
“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 is a designated U.N. shelter,” he said.
UNRWA, the main U.N. relief agency in Gaza, said it was at “breaking point” with more than 200,000 Palestinians sheltering in its buildings following calls by Israel for civilians to evacuate whole neighbourhoods before military operations.
How many missles were in the building?
Who reports how many dead and wounded?
Why is is always 82% of the casualties are civilians?
I fear that for every tunnel destroyed, two new ones will be built. For every terrorists killed, 10 new ones are created as a result of the horrendous civilian casualties and the belief (obviously false) that the IDF is deliberately targeting these areas knowing that Civilians are at risk. I know most posters here don’t care about public opinion but the reality is that EY must exist in a global economy and any type of substantial boycott of Israelis products will destroy the economy more than any rockets from Gaza.
Okay. Comments?
But UNWRA apparently forgot to let Hamas know that it cannot store its rockets in its schools. How could rockets possibly be stored in UNWRA schools without its knowledge? UNWRA allowed its facilities to be used as a terrorist installation. It suffers the consequences.
Interesting that the UN doesn’t say if Hamas fired rockets from or near the school. They should have noticed if they were.
The UN and the US secretary of State are having a problem to defend the state of Israel.
its time fo jews to Ron away from Israel and declare that we are not connected to these acts.
How many times has UN schools been found to have rockets?
How many times have Hamas terrorists fired at IDF troops from UN schools?
When someone fires from a shelter location, the one who fires back did not violate International Law, the one trying to use the human shields did.
Then UN is a bunch of useless tools.
To # 5
The USA and all western countries have no problem defending Israel, each and every one said Israel has a right to defend them self , they don’t agree on terms of cease fire but that’s democracy.
Did they bother notifying Hanas as well??
UN, tell Hamas, at least ONCE not to shoot mortar shells from inside a school perimeter, whoever runs the school. UN or else. The real guilty people are the Hamas terrorists, not an army defending itself.
May I remind everyone that when Israel bombed the Nuclear Reactor in Iraq, the first reports out of Iraq were that Israel bombed a facility that produces milk for babies! Stop reacting to every ridiculous piece of “news” as it hits the wire, and wait for the full and true story to come out!
I reported #5 .
To the UN: Don’t cry for these “innocent civilans.” Save your pity for towns in Israel that are under constant attack from rockets that are fired from UN schools.
“United Nations officials had told the Israeli military 17 times that a school in Gaza’s biggest refugee camp was a shelter for Palestinian civilians fleeing fighting in the teeming coastal strip, but it was not enough to save them from deadly shelling.”
And how many times did Israel let them know to get out of there?
The major question in all this is: WHY? Why are they there?? If you don’t want to be bombed, don’t be there!
i don’t care if its a shelter, if its used as a terrorist launching site it gets destroyed.
please, speaking loshon horah will not benefit the situation. keep names of people who disagree with the state of Israel out of these discussions