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US slams attack on Gaza school

July 31, 2014

The White House has described the shelling of a UN school in Gaza as "totally indefensible," adding that Israel appears to be responsible. Meanwhile, the US has offered to replenish Israeli grenade and mortar supplies.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Cn7z
Displaced Palestinians look at a classroom, at the Abu Hussein U.N. school in Jebaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, hit by an Israeli strike earlier, on Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Some 3,300 Gazans seeking shelter from the fighting had been crowded into the U.N. school in Jebaliya refugee camp when it was hit by a series of Israeli artillery shells Wednesday. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Image: Reuters

Spokesman for the White House Josh Earnest said the US supported a full investigation into the shelling of a UN school in Gaza, which killed 16 people.

Earnest said that all the evidence pointed to Israel being behind the attack, despite early claims from Israel that the deaths may have been the result of a misfired Palestinian rocket. "It does not appear there's a lot of doubt about whose artillery was involved in this incident," said Earnest.

"The shelling of a UN facility that is housing innocent civilians who are fleeing violence is totally unacceptable and totally indefensible," he added.

Wednesday saw a heavy death toll in Gaza, with 111 people in all killed, including those at the school and a further 17 in a strike on a crowded market place.

Despite the rising number of fatalities, Washington said it would still restock the Israeli munitions supplies, including mortars and grenades.

There was sharp condemnation of the school attack from the UN itself, with secretary General Ban Ki-moon describing it as "reprehensible."

UN repeats peace plea

The UN Security Council on Thursday called for humanitarian ceasefires in Gaza and again made an appeal for an immediate truce. The Council expressed "grave disappointment" that its calls for peace had gone unheeded so far.

Israel on Thursday said it would keep troops in Gaza until it completed its mission to destroy a network of cross-border tunnels there. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would accept no peace deal that did not allow the threat posed by the tunnels - allegedly used by Hamas militants to launch raids on Israeli territory - to be completely eliminated.

Netanyahu's remarks followed the mobilization of a further 16,000 Israeli reservists, bringing the total number to 86,000. It remains unclear how many troops are fighting inside Gaza.

Emergency services in Gaza claim that, since the Israeli offensive began on July 8, 1,435 people have died and more than 8,100 have been wounded. On the Israeli side, 56 soldiers are said to have died, with Hamas rocket fire killing two Israeli civilians and a Thai farm worker.

rc/msh (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)