UK 'Shocked' At Un School Deaths İn Gaza

The UK Foreign Office has said that it is "shocked" by reports of the deaths of Palestinians at a United Nations school in Gaza.



At least 16 people were killed and 150 injured in the bombardment - blamed on Israeli fire by the Gaza Health Ministry - of the UNWRA school in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza as civilians sheltered there.



Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and International Development Secretary Justine Greening said in a joint statement:  "We are shocked by the reports of the killing of at least 15 people and the injury of many more at an UNWRA school in Gaza yesterday, including women and children sheltering inside.



"International Humanitarian Law is clear that all feasible precautions must be taken to avoid harm to civilians during a military attack."



"Israel has the right to defend itself, but its response must be proportionate and it must do everything possible to avoid loss of civilian life," they added.



The Palestinian death toll from Israel's devastating military action in the Gaza Strip rose to 815 on Friday, a Health Ministry official said.



According to official Israeli figures, 34 Israelis – 32 soldiers and two civilians – have been killed since hostilities began. 



Israel's operation "Protective Edge" is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely populated Gaza Strip - home to 1.8 million Palestinians - within the last six years.



http: //www.aa.com.tr/en - Greater London