Fage
01-16-2009, 08:58 AM
AM - Friday, 16 January , 2009 08:00:00
Reporter: Ben Knight
BRENDAN TREMBATH: There's been a significant escalation in fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Even as the United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon arrived in Israel on a mission to stop the fighting, news emerged that the UN headquarters in Gaza was ablaze after being hit by Israeli shells.
Mr Ban has expressed his outrage and called for a full explanation.
Hamas has also suffered a blow. The group says a senior leader was killed in an air strike.
Middle East correspondent Ben Knight reports.
(Sound of trucks)
BEN KNIGHT: For nearly two weeks Israeli ground forces have been pushing toward Gaza City. Yesterday morning they reached their target.
(Sound of explosions and sirens)
Among the buildings attacked was the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency with 700 people reported to be sheltering inside. Three of them were injured and millions of dollars worth of humanitarian aid was set alight.
JUDI CLARKE: We need the shelling to stop, that's what we need. The shelling is inside the compound.
BEN KNIGHT: UN logistics officer, Judi Clarke.
JUDI CLARKE: Our warehouses have been hit by some type of explosive and have caught alight. The fire has spread from the workshops via the oil. One by one the warehouses are going up. We've lost all our food and all our medicine to this fire.
BEN KNIGHT: The UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon arrived in Israel to the news that the UN headquarters in Gaza was on fire.
BAN KI-MOON: I conveyed my strong protest and outrage to the Defence Minister and the Foreign Minister and demanded a full explanation.
BEN KNIGHT: Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak told Mr Ban the shelling of the UN building had been a "grave mistake". But when he met Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert he was told Israeli troops had been shot at from the UN headquarters.
EHUD OLMERT: I don't think it should have happened and I'm very sorry. Although as I said, the Israeli forces were attacked. As it happened the response was very harsh and I am very sorry.
BEN KNIGHT: The head of the UN agency in Gaza John Ging says there was no fighting in the area or the compound.
JOHN GING: There is no crossfire between Israeli and militants on the ground here. What we have had all night and into this morning is a relentless bombardment of this area from kilometres away.
BEN KNIGHT: Last week more than 40 people were killed when a UN school was shelled. Most of them were civilians. At the time Israel's army initially claimed it had been fired on from within the school but later said that couldn't be confirmed. Days later a UN driver was killed when his flagged truck was shot at by an Israeli tank.
Hamas is keeping up its attacks as well; 25 Hamas rockets hit southern Israel on Thursday. Two people were seriously injured.
Inside Gaza three senior Hamas members were killed, including its Minister of the Interior.
Ban Ki-moon says the number of casualties in Gaza has reached an unbearable point. He's demanding the fighting stop immediately and says that terms and conditions of the ceasefire can be worked out later.
BAN KI-MOON: We don't have any more time to lose. We must end the civilian suffering now.
BEN KNIGHT: Israel's chief negotiator has travelled to Cairo for ceasefire talks. An Egyptian official has being quoted as saying those talks were favourable but that more meetings will be needed.
Source:http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2008/s2467233.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/ZTT11bmcjUY
Reporter: Ben Knight
BRENDAN TREMBATH: There's been a significant escalation in fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Even as the United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon arrived in Israel on a mission to stop the fighting, news emerged that the UN headquarters in Gaza was ablaze after being hit by Israeli shells.
Mr Ban has expressed his outrage and called for a full explanation.
Hamas has also suffered a blow. The group says a senior leader was killed in an air strike.
Middle East correspondent Ben Knight reports.
(Sound of trucks)
BEN KNIGHT: For nearly two weeks Israeli ground forces have been pushing toward Gaza City. Yesterday morning they reached their target.
(Sound of explosions and sirens)
Among the buildings attacked was the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency with 700 people reported to be sheltering inside. Three of them were injured and millions of dollars worth of humanitarian aid was set alight.
JUDI CLARKE: We need the shelling to stop, that's what we need. The shelling is inside the compound.
BEN KNIGHT: UN logistics officer, Judi Clarke.
JUDI CLARKE: Our warehouses have been hit by some type of explosive and have caught alight. The fire has spread from the workshops via the oil. One by one the warehouses are going up. We've lost all our food and all our medicine to this fire.
BEN KNIGHT: The UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon arrived in Israel to the news that the UN headquarters in Gaza was on fire.
BAN KI-MOON: I conveyed my strong protest and outrage to the Defence Minister and the Foreign Minister and demanded a full explanation.
BEN KNIGHT: Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak told Mr Ban the shelling of the UN building had been a "grave mistake". But when he met Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert he was told Israeli troops had been shot at from the UN headquarters.
EHUD OLMERT: I don't think it should have happened and I'm very sorry. Although as I said, the Israeli forces were attacked. As it happened the response was very harsh and I am very sorry.
BEN KNIGHT: The head of the UN agency in Gaza John Ging says there was no fighting in the area or the compound.
JOHN GING: There is no crossfire between Israeli and militants on the ground here. What we have had all night and into this morning is a relentless bombardment of this area from kilometres away.
BEN KNIGHT: Last week more than 40 people were killed when a UN school was shelled. Most of them were civilians. At the time Israel's army initially claimed it had been fired on from within the school but later said that couldn't be confirmed. Days later a UN driver was killed when his flagged truck was shot at by an Israeli tank.
Hamas is keeping up its attacks as well; 25 Hamas rockets hit southern Israel on Thursday. Two people were seriously injured.
Inside Gaza three senior Hamas members were killed, including its Minister of the Interior.
Ban Ki-moon says the number of casualties in Gaza has reached an unbearable point. He's demanding the fighting stop immediately and says that terms and conditions of the ceasefire can be worked out later.
BAN KI-MOON: We don't have any more time to lose. We must end the civilian suffering now.
BEN KNIGHT: Israel's chief negotiator has travelled to Cairo for ceasefire talks. An Egyptian official has being quoted as saying those talks were favourable but that more meetings will be needed.
Source:http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2008/s2467233.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/ZTT11bmcjUY