WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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Israel halts campaign for 3 hours for humanitarian aid
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-07 20:25 The Franco-Egyptian plan was given increasing urgency by the Israeli mortar strike near a UN school that killed 39 Palestinians and stained the streets with blood. The United Nations said the school was sheltering hundreds of people displaced by the onslaught on Hamas militants. Israel said its troops returned fire on a Hamas squad that fired mortars at them from nearby.
Christopher Gunness of the UN Relief and Works Agency, responsible for the school, said the agency is "99.9 percent certain there were no militants or military activity in its school." That would not necessarily contradict Israel's claim that the militants were just outside. Gunness demanded an investigation, and punishment for anyone found to have violated international law. Two residents of the area who spoke with The Associated Press by telephone said they saw a small group of militants firing mortar rounds from a street near the school. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Gunness said 1,300 people were taking shelter from the shelling at the school. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said there were no militants there at the time. The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights said the presence of militants did not justify Israel's response. "The presence of armed resistance does not justify in any way the use of excessive force that is disproportionate," the center said in a statement. The carnage, which included 55 wounded, added to a surging civilian toll and drew mounting international pressure for Israel to end the offensive against Hamas.
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