CNN.com
Israel: Shelling of U.N. complex 'a grave mistake'
* Story Highlights
* NEW: U.N. chief expresses "protest and outrage" to Israeli ministers
* NEW: Defense minister takes attack "very seriously," Ban Ki-Moon says
* U.N. relief agency's Gaza City headquarters, warehouse ablaze after attack
* More than 1,000 Palestinians and 13 Israelis killed in 20 days of conflict
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday that the shelling of a U.N. relief
agency's compound in Gaza City was "a grave mistake," the U.N. chief said.
"I conveyed my strong protest and outrage to the defense minister and the
foreign minister and demanded a full explanation," Ban said at a news
conference in Tel Aviv, Israel.
He added that Barak took the matter "very seriously."
Ban said he called Barak, before meeting with him later in the day, to ask him
to explain the shelling of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency compound.
The UNRWA headquarters was hit repeatedly by shrapnel and artillery during
clashes Thursday morning, UNRWA Director John Ging said. Three workers were
hurt, and the compound's warehouse and workshop were burning out of control
within an hour and a half, he said. VideoWatch as fire blazes at U.N. compound »
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said it was "not clear whose shells,
whose fire hit the U.N. facility."
"It could have been ours , it could have been Hamas'," Regev said. "This is
being investigated."
The fire left black smoke hanging over Gaza City.
"It's a very big fire, and we're not able to get it under control at the
moment," Ging said. With gunbattles going on around the facility, "the
emergency services are not able to get to us."
He said staffers identified the source of the fires as white phosphorous
shells, whose use is restricted under international law.
The U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of using white
phosphorous shells in Gaza during its campaign against Hamas, the Palestinian
militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007.
The Israel Defense Forces initially denied using the ordnance. But by Monday,
Israeli officials said only that any shells fired in Gaza "are in accordance
with international law."
The private relief agency CARE announced Thursday it was canceling its
distribution of food and medical aid to the territory while the fighting
continues. Read an aid worker's diary
The Foreign Press Association said international news agency offices in Gaza
City were hit by Israeli fire Thursday and demanded Israel stop shooting at the
building that houses them.
UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness urged both Israel and Hamas, which has been
firing rockets into southern Israel, to heed the "conscience of the world" and
comply with a U.N. resolution calling for a cease-fire.
But he added: "I'm standing looking over the town of Beit Hanoun, and with
every dull thud and every plume of smoke that comes out of there, it's sad to
say that the parties on the ground are not listening."
Ban's presence appeared to do little to advance diplomatic efforts to end the
conflict, and Arab nations remain divided on their stances toward Hamas.
Israeli aircraft struck 70 targets in Gaza overnight, the Israel Defense Forces
reported Thursday, while fighting on the ground left 11 Israeli troops wounded.
The military said about 35 armed Palestinian fighters were wounded or killed in
those clashes, mostly by airstrikes. VideoWatch as civilians suffer most »
At least 10 rockets or mortar shells struck Israeli territory Thursday, the IDF
reported.
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 5,000 wounded since
the conflict began, Palestinian officials said Wednesday. Israel said 10 of its
soldiers and three civilians have been killed and more than 100 soldiers have
been wounded.
The Israeli military said it planned to let 170 trucks through the border
Thursday to deliver food and medical supplies, and announced the appointment of
an army officer, Brig. Gen. Shimi Daniel, to coordinate humanitarian efforts.
CNN's Michal Zippori and Talal Abu Rahmi contributed to this report.
All AboutHamas • Israel • Gaza • Ban Ki-moon
Links referenced within this article
Watch as fire blazes at U.N. compound »
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Israel
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/israel
Read an aid worker's diary
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/15/gaza.aid.workers.diary/index.html
Ban
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/Ban_Ki_moon
Gaza
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/Gaza_Strip
Watch as civilians suffer most »
#cnnSTCVideo
Hamas
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/Hamas
Israel
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/Israel
Gaza
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/Gaza_Strip
Ban Ki-moon
http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/Ban_Ki_moon
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