World

GAZA: Another School Hit, UN Official Urges World to Investigate

by Blue Crush | January 17, 2009 at 07:43 am

151 views | 43 Recommendations | 6 comments

GAZA - A United Nations official, on Saturday, has again pleaded with the international community to investigate the outcomes on the ongoing Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip. There were 50 airstrikes overnight, including another UN school, in which 1,600 people were seeking refuge. Two children, aged 5 and 7, were killed. The Israeli military says they are investigating the incident.

John Ging, UNRWA operations chief in the Gaza Strip told a news conference held at a school his organization runs in northern Gaza Strip that the world "should consider the international law and Geneva Fourth Convention."

    The school, located in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia, was shelled by Israeli army tanks earlier on Saturday, killing two children and wounded 14 others, including a woman in critical conditions.

    Israel has targeted five UNRWA schools during the military offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 60 civilians, who took refuge to 36 schools run by UNRWA allover the Gaza Strip after they fled their homes.

    "Is the killing of civilians, mainly children (who took refuge) into these schools a crime of war or not?" asked Ging as he was speaking to reporters, adding "Civilians, mainly women and children who are paying the price of this war."

"Those two little boys are as innocent, indisputably, as they are dead."

The IDF is investigating at the highest level five recent attacks against civilian targets in Gaza, including two UN facilities and a hospital. But he said all five would be investigated at the command level and that the results would be made public at the same time.

Ging again stressed that there is "no safe place in Gaza."

UN spokesman Chris Gunness called for the soldiers involved to be tried for war crimes and said the Israelis had been provided with the coordinates of the school and knew it was being used as a shelter.

About 45,000 Gazans fleeing battle zones are sheltering in UN run schools in the heavily populated strip.

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Barry Artiste

at 08:32 on January 17th, 2009

certainly the voice of reason is lost on both countries

Citj (not verified)

at 14:34 on January 17th, 2009

Gaza isn't a country?

Barry Artiste

at 08:32 on January 17th, 2009

As it is said, suffer the little children, hence why religion and state need to be separate and countries need to stop bombing each other for their imaginary friends