“You see on your screen, a city smashed, 1,070 dead. While still swear it’s talk, talk, and more talk. The U.N. General Assembly is meeting in an emergency session but more people are dying, more buildings are burning.” (Al Jazeera English)

Plenty of developments in the last 24 hours in Gaza as Israel hits 70 targets in the Strip overnight, including United Nations headquarters, a media compound and hospitals. While in New York, the U.N. General Council calls a crisis meeting on Gaza.

We’re following coverage of this story from FOX News, Maan, Sky News, the Christian Science Monitor and Inter-Press Service.

700 Palestinians were taking shelter in the UN headquarters in Gaza City when it was hit by Israeli fire. FOX News reports Israel’s reason for the attack…

“Israel has apparently bombed, or at least fired military artillery shells at a UN compound there. They say they did it only because they were attacked from there by Palestinian forces, or by more specifically, by Hamas, but the UN, the UN chief Ban Ki Moon is outraged.” (FOX News)

At the same time, Maan News reports Israel apologized to Ban Ki Moon…

“The Defense Minster said to me it was a grave mistake and he took it very seriously. He assured me that extra attention will be paid to UN facilities and staff and this will not be repeated,” Ki Moon said. (Maan)

Sky News talked to a UN spokesperson in the smoking compound who said …

“What appears to have happened there have been three hits of what seems to be white phosphorus (inaud) of our buildings, in the compound in our Gaza field office is in flames. You can not put out white phosphorus with convention fire extinguishers you need sand and we do not have quantities of sand to do that.”
“The pellets with which we deliver aid are quite literally on fire, what more tragic symbolism could there be.” (Sky News)

The Christian Science Monitor adds the Geneva Convention says white phosphorus is illegal to use against civilians and soldiers alike.

“The use of white phosphorus is banned as a weapon that causes ‘unnecessary suffering’,” says Mark Ellis, director of the International Bar Association in London. “…it creates horrible damage to the human body, and unnecessarily so.” (CSMonitor)
 
CNN has the view that hitting the UN headquarters now, is devastating for Gazans desperate for the aid inside the compound now going up in flames.

“There would be more aid than normal in that warehouse because there were a couple of days where the UN was just simply not able to get the aid to the people who need it, so certainly it’s a huge blow.” (CNN)

Inter-Press Service reports on the U.N. General Assembly’s emergency meeting in New York. IPS sources say many member countries want Israel held accountable for war crimes in Gaza. While the U.N. General Assembly President said…

“The situation is untenable. It’s genocide… It’s unbelievable that a country that owes its existence to a General Assembly resolution could be so disdainful of the resolutions that emanate from the U.N.” (Source: Miguel d’Escoto, U.N. General Assembly President) (IPS)

How should the U.N respond to this? What do you believe will come out of the U.N.’s meeting in New York?

We invite you to leave your comments on this story at Newsy.com and please check out our sources…

World News

Smoke and Diplomacy for Gaza, Israel

January 15, 2009
Accusations fly as to why Israel fired on a United Nations headquarters, hospitals and a media compound in Gaza. Newsy.com follows the developments of the story.
   
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