Press Association
Tuesday 16th March 2010
Israel's military suspended its Gaza offensive for three hours to allow aid and fuel into the embattled Palestinian territory.
The pause was aimed at allowing aid supplies and fuel to reach some of the 1.4 million residents of Gaza.
Israel has come under criticism for harming Gaza civilians during its 12-day-long offensive aimed at the territory's militant Hamas rulers.
Gaza is suffering from shortages of basic supplies and fuel, while much of the strip is without electricity and running water.
Outrage over Tuesday's Israeli strike near a UN school that killed 39 people continued, with the UN agency responsible for the building demanding an "impartial investigation" into the attack.
The UN said the school was sheltering hundreds of people displaced by the Israeli onslaught. Israel said its troops returned fire on a Hamas squad that fired mortars at them from nearby.
Israel's military said its shelling - the deadliest single episode since Israeli ground forces invaded Gaza - was an attack on a military target and accused Hamas militants of using civilians as cover.
Christopher Gunness of the UN Relief and Works Agency, responsible for the school, said the agency was "99.9% certain there were no militants or military activity in its school".
He demanded an investigation and punishment for anyone found to have violated international law.
