UN Says Israel Shelled Gaza House, Killing 30
January 09, 2009
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- The United Nations has said that 30 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip earlier this week when the Israeli Army sheltered dozens of civilians in a house which was later hit by shells.
A report by the UN's Office for the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that on January 4 Israeli soldiers evacuated 110 Palestinians to a house in the Zeitoun neighborhood in central Gaza, warning them to remain indoors.
Citing witnesses, the report said the house was later hit by Israeli shells, killing some 30 people.
The Israeli Army said it was investigating the incident.
Palestinian medical workers had said on January 5 that they recovered 12 bodies from one family at a house hit by Israeli shells. The total number of dead later rose to 30 as more bodies were pulled from the rubble at the same location, they said.
They identified the dead as mostly members of the Samouni family.
OCHA said the fatalities included three children who were wounded in the incident and later succumbed to their injuries.