John Ging from the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Gaza said the school was clearly marked as a U.N. compound. "The school in Jebaliya is a preparatory girls' school in normal circumstances. Again, very visible, clearly marked building - as all of our buildings are. And as I said already, we provided the GPS coordinates to the Israeli military and updated regularly with them and this year again, so they are fully familiar with where our locations are, and again, flag flying there," he said.
Several hundred people had taken shelter in the school to try to escape the Israeli attacks. Israeli military officials say they believe militants were using the school to fire upon Israeli troops. U.N. officials say thousands of Palestinians have been seeking shelter in schools throughout Gaza from the ongoing shelling, air strikes and bombardments.
In Gaza, international Red Cross spokesman Iyad Nasr says the situation is dire. "The situation is becoming unbearable and more casualties are being seen among the population, the civilian population, including paramedics, including hospitals and ambulances," he said.(www.hXen.com)
But, there is no indication Israel is ready to call off its campaign, despite growing international pressure to do so.
Israeli leaders say their offensive is aimed at stopping Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel. Hamas military leaders say they will fight the Israeli forces in every street, alley and house.