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.....Pulling the same **** the insurgents pulled on us in Iraq. Hiding in hospitals, schools, UN buildings, homes, or whatever it takes to play the victim to the hilt. Fire from a civilian building and then cry when the fire is returned. What pieces of garbage.
Israel Says Militants Opened Fire From U.N. Compound
Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:15 AM
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JERUSALEM -- A senior Israeli military officer says Israeli troops shelled the U.N. headquarters in Gaza after coming under fire from Palestinian militants.
The Israeli artillery attack Thursday set the compound on fire, destroyed tons of food and humanitarian supplies, and forced hundreds of refugees to flee.
Israel says it does not target U.N. buildings or personnel. But the officer said troops opened fire after militants inside the compound shot anti-tank weapons and machine guns. The troops used 155 mm artillery shells, he said. Throughout its 20-day offensive in Gaza, Israel has accused Hamas militants of hiding in civilian areas to stage attacks.
The officer spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement expected later Thursday.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in the region to end the devastating offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers, said the Israeli defense minister told him there had been a "grave mistake."
An Israeli spokesman said the bombardment, which left three people wounded, is being investigated.
"It was a very difficult combat situation in the immediate vicinity of the building. It could have been stray fire. It could have been Hamas fire. Israel does not target U.N. facilities or U.N. personnel," said the spokesman, Mark Regev.
Even as a top Israeli envoy went to Egypt to discuss a cease-fire proposal, the military pushed farther into Gaza in an apparent effort to step up pressure on Hamas. Ground forces thrust deep into a crowded neighborhood for the first time, sending terrified residents fleeing for cover. Shells also struck a hospital, five high-rise apartment buildings and a building housing media outlets in Gaza City, injuring several journalists.
Bullets also entered another building housing The Associated Press offices, entering a room where two staffers were working but wounding no one. The Foreign Press Association, representing journalists covering Israel and the Palestinian territories, demanded a halt to attacks on press buildings.
The army had collected the locations of media organizations at the outset of fighting to avoid such attacks.
Israel launched its war on Dec. 27 in an effort to stop militant rocket fire from Gaza that has terrorized hundreds of thousands of Israelis. About 1,100 Palestinians have been killed, roughly half of them civilians, according to U.N. and Palestinian medical officials. Gaza health official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said at least 50 people were killed throughout Gaza on Thursday.
Thirteen Israelis also have been killed since the campaign began. Israel says it will press ahead until Hamas halts the rocket fire and stops smuggling weapons into Gaza from neighboring Egypt.
Israel Says Militants Opened Fire From U.N. Compound
Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:15 AM
Article Font Size
JERUSALEM -- A senior Israeli military officer says Israeli troops shelled the U.N. headquarters in Gaza after coming under fire from Palestinian militants.
The Israeli artillery attack Thursday set the compound on fire, destroyed tons of food and humanitarian supplies, and forced hundreds of refugees to flee.
Israel says it does not target U.N. buildings or personnel. But the officer said troops opened fire after militants inside the compound shot anti-tank weapons and machine guns. The troops used 155 mm artillery shells, he said. Throughout its 20-day offensive in Gaza, Israel has accused Hamas militants of hiding in civilian areas to stage attacks.
The officer spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement expected later Thursday.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in the region to end the devastating offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers, said the Israeli defense minister told him there had been a "grave mistake."
An Israeli spokesman said the bombardment, which left three people wounded, is being investigated.
"It was a very difficult combat situation in the immediate vicinity of the building. It could have been stray fire. It could have been Hamas fire. Israel does not target U.N. facilities or U.N. personnel," said the spokesman, Mark Regev.
Even as a top Israeli envoy went to Egypt to discuss a cease-fire proposal, the military pushed farther into Gaza in an apparent effort to step up pressure on Hamas. Ground forces thrust deep into a crowded neighborhood for the first time, sending terrified residents fleeing for cover. Shells also struck a hospital, five high-rise apartment buildings and a building housing media outlets in Gaza City, injuring several journalists.
Bullets also entered another building housing The Associated Press offices, entering a room where two staffers were working but wounding no one. The Foreign Press Association, representing journalists covering Israel and the Palestinian territories, demanded a halt to attacks on press buildings.
The army had collected the locations of media organizations at the outset of fighting to avoid such attacks.
Israel launched its war on Dec. 27 in an effort to stop militant rocket fire from Gaza that has terrorized hundreds of thousands of Israelis. About 1,100 Palestinians have been killed, roughly half of them civilians, according to U.N. and Palestinian medical officials. Gaza health official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said at least 50 people were killed throughout Gaza on Thursday.
Thirteen Israelis also have been killed since the campaign began. Israel says it will press ahead until Hamas halts the rocket fire and stops smuggling weapons into Gaza from neighboring Egypt.
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