Middle East News
Ban: Israeli attacks on schools "totally unacceptable"
Jan 6, 2009, 19:49 GMT
New York - Israeli attacks on three schools run by the United Nations in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, including one that killed more than 46 civilians on Tuesday, were 'totally unacceptable and must not be repeated,' UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon said.
The three schools were operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza. The UN said about 15,000 Palestinians, who fled the fighting between Israel and Hamas, had found refuge in these schools as well as in more than 20 other schools in the territory.
Ban said in a statement that the locations of the schools had been given to the Israeli army and Israel was warned that its operations were endangering UN compounds.
'I am deeply dismayed that despite these repeated efforts, today's tragedies have ensued,' Ban said. 'These attacks by Israeli military forces which endanger UN facilities acting as places of refuge are totally unacceptable and must not be repeated.'
'Equally unacceptable are any actions by militants, which endanger the Palestinian civilian population,' he said. 'Today's events underscore the dangers inherent in the continuation and escalation of this conflict. I call once again for an immediate ceasefire.'
Israel said Tuesday that Hamas militants fired mortars from the UN school in northern Gaza, which was shelled by Israel, killing more than 46 civilians, according to a military spokesman in Tel Aviv.
He said Israeli ground troops stationed on the outskirts of the Jabaliya refugee camp responded by firing mortar shells in the direction of the militants.
'This is not the first time that Palestinian militants have fired from within UN schools,' he said.

COMMENT
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Older Talkback
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Oh I see UN phoneys its alright to use schools and mosques to stash your weapons in and fire your rockets from then retreat back inside to hide but its not ok to take out those sites? All the while these murderous terrorist scums were stashing their weapons and setting up shop in those schools and mosques the UN appears to have known nothing about it. They have regular monitors there 24/7 and they absolutely knew the scumsbags were doing this yet not a word of outcry from the. As far as I'm concerned they can nuke the UN. They are worthless.
Dave,
The UN knows nothing and you do? And Gazans are terrorists according to you. You seem to be blind to massacres, murders and crimes by Israelis on the defenseless population of Gaza . Either you're totally ignorant of the Middle East in general and you are forgiven if you spare you comments from now on or you are a racist (more likely) and an islamophobe and I suggest you go back under the rock where you came from.
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SP4: well, Mr BanJan 6th, 2009 - 20:00:42
...ask yourself about the acceptability of a terror organization attacking a UN-recognized nation with missiles, then hiding behind an enslaved population.
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