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| Shelling 'kills 15 in Gaza shelter' | Shelling 'kills 15 in Gaza shelter' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| At least 15 people have been killed and more than 200 injured when a UN-run school used as a shelter in Gaza was shelled, the Gaza health ministry says. | At least 15 people have been killed and more than 200 injured when a UN-run school used as a shelter in Gaza was shelled, the Gaza health ministry says. |
| Hundreds of Palestinians were in the school in Beit Hanoun, fleeing heavy fighting in the area. | Hundreds of Palestinians were in the school in Beit Hanoun, fleeing heavy fighting in the area. |
| It is the fourth time that a UN facility has been hit in Israel's offensive against Hamas militants. | It is the fourth time that a UN facility has been hit in Israel's offensive against Hamas militants. |
| In the past 16 days of fighting, more than 750 Palestinians and 32 Israelis have been killed, officials say. | |
| Israel launched its military offensive on 8 July with the declared objective of stopping Hamas firing rockets from Gaza. | Israel launched its military offensive on 8 July with the declared objective of stopping Hamas firing rockets from Gaza. |
| Pools of blood | |
| Earlier on Thursday, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said that it was "vital" to have a ceasefire. | Earlier on Thursday, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said that it was "vital" to have a ceasefire. |
| "We have over 118,000 people now who are sheltering in UN schools... people are running out of food. Water is also a serious concern," she said. | "We have over 118,000 people now who are sheltering in UN schools... people are running out of food. Water is also a serious concern," she said. |
| She said the conflict meant 44% of Gaza was a no-go area for Palestinians, and residents were running out of food. | She said the conflict meant 44% of Gaza was a no-go area for Palestinians, and residents were running out of food. |
| Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he regretted each Palestinian civilian death, but said they were "the responsibility of Hamas". | Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he regretted each Palestinian civilian death, but said they were "the responsibility of Hamas". |
| Correspondents say pools of blood lay on the ground in the courtyard of the school in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. | |
| There was a large scorch mark where it appeared a shell had hit, the Associated Press news agency reports. | |
| UN officials said that during the course of the day they had been trying to negotiate a window of time with the Israeli army for civilians to leave the area because of the heaving fighting. | |
| But Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (Unrwa), said it was never granted. | |
| He said the Israeli army had been formally given the co-ordinates of the shelter in Beit Hanoun. | |
| There has been no comment so far from the Israeli military. | |
| The BBC's Chris Morris in Gaza says casualties from the attack have been taken to several local hospitals. | |
| But at the school itself journalists trying to reach the scene have had to pull back, after small arms fire broke out nearby, he says. | |
| The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) says a 1.9 mile (3km) wide strip, encompassing 44% of Gaza, has been designated as a no-go zone by the Israeli military. | |
| Meanwhile Khaled Meshaal, leader of Islamist militant group Hamas, said there could be no ceasefire to ease the conflict in Gaza without an end to Israel's blockade. | |
| Israel imposed restrictions on the Gaza Strip in 2006, after Hamas abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. | |
| The measures were tightened by Israel and Egypt in 2007, after Hamas ousted rival Fatah and forcibly took control in Gaza after winning elections the year before. | |
| Hamas and Fatah announced a reconciliation deal in April, but the move was condemned by Israel which regards Hamas as a terrorist group. | |
| Israel's Science Minister Yaakov Peri told Israeli web portal Walla that he did not see a ceasefire being agreed in the coming days, as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) needed more time to dismantle Hamas' underground tunnel network. | |
| There have been hundreds of rocket attacks on Israel, and Israeli air strikes on Gaza, since the Israeli offensive began. |