Israel bombarded Gaza with 50 airstrikes overnight ahead of a proposed unilateral ceasefire, which could be approved by the Jewish state tonight.
Two children were killed in northern Gaza when the UN school they were sheltering in with 1,600 other people was struck by Israeli shelling.
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.
The Israeli military was investigating the incident and had no immediate comment. But in similar cases, it has accused Hamas militants of staging attacks from schools, mosques and other civilian areas.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s security cabinet is due to meet this evening and it is believed ministers may decide to halt the fighting without concluding any deal with Hamas, which controls Gaza.
Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency, said two brothers had been killed and 14 people wounded, including the boys’ mother, when Israeli tank fire hit the school run by UNRWA in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
About 45,000 Gazans fleeing battle zones are sheltering in UN-run schools in the heavily populated strip. Israeli shelling killed 42 people who had taken refuge at a UN school on January 6. An UNRWA compound was hit twice on Thursday, destroying tonnes of vital food and medical aid and three staff were wounded. Hospital staff said four people had been killed by tank fire in another Gaza neighbourhood today. Hamas said one of its fighters had also been killed.
Muawiyah Hassanein, director of the Hamas-run ambulance service, said more than 1,199 Palestinians had died, among them 410 children, and 5,300 wounded, including 1,630 children.
Ten Israeli soldiers and three civilians, hit by rockets fired from Gaza, have been killed during the campaign which started on December 27.
Israeli jets roared over Gaza before dawn and heavy explosions flashed to the south and north of the city.
The army said it had attacked 50 targets overnight, including 16 tunnels, two mosques from which gunmen had fired on troops, three bunkers, eight rocket-launching pads and six mined areas including a booby-trapped building.
Around 20,000 people are expected to march on London today in protest against Israel’s continued military strikes on Gaza. They are holding a rally in Trafalgar Square and a letter is to be handed in to 10 Downing Street.
Dr John Sentamu held a special service of prayer and lament for the situation, saying the international community must redouble its efforts for peace.
He said: “It is high time that all people in the region recognised the right of the state of Israel to exist and the need for the creation of a viable Palestinian state.
“Therefore, the international community must redouble its efforts to bring about this reality and a lasting peace. We have all been guilty to ignore the danger signs over the last eight years.”
A British aid agency said it was ready to send humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip as soon as a peace deal was signed.
Save the Children said once humanitarian agencies and personnel were given permission to enter the conflict zone it would send more personnel and aid into Gaza.
Under the ceasefire plan, fighting would stop immediately for 10 days, but Israeli forces would initially remain in Gaza and the border crossings into the territory would remain closed until security arrangements were made to ensure Hamas militants did not rearm.
Salam Kanaan, Save the Children’s country director, who is based in Jerusalem, said: “Save the Children is now preparing to go into Gaza as soon as crossings open and the green light is given.
“Around three quarters of a million people there are dependent on food aid. More than 3,000 women have given birth, often with little support. And there has been absolutely no support for children suffering from the stress they have been subjected to in recent weeks. We’re poised, ready to get in there and deliver fast.”
source:the london times
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