(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
There are calls for greater efforts to protect civilians in the Gaza conflict after shelling killed at least 15 people and wounded hundreds more at a United Nations school serving as a shelter.
It's still unclear who was responsible for the attack, which has pushed the conflict death toll to more than 800.
As Darren Mara reports, the global community has reacted to the latest violence with shock and condemnation.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
There's been no let up in the violence in Gaza and the death toll continues to grow, despite ongoing pleas for a ceasefire.
The school in northern Gaza is the fourth UN facility to be hit since the Israeli offensive into Gaza began on July 8.
This time women, children and UN staff are among the dead.
The Gaza health ministry says Israel is to blame, but Israel says that's yet to be confirmed.
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev:
"Our investigation is still ongoing. We'll get to the bottom of it. Obviously it's a difficult combat situation. There was Hamas rockets that were falling in Beit Hanoun, in that area, so we can't rule out that possibility. But, to be totally honest, I can't rule out the possibility either that it was errant Israeli fire."
The UN school had been designated an emergency shelter by the UN Relief and Works Agency - but it proved to be anything but.
The agency's spokesman Chris Gunness says precise coordinates of the shelter in Beit Hanoun had been formally given to the Israeli army.
Mr Gunness says his agency had tried to coordinate with the army a window for civilians to leave but it was never granted.
"Let's find out the facts. We need to know that in order to find out who is responsible for this. I'm not saying that either side is responsible. I do know that the Israeli side had all the GPS coordinates of all our installations including the school in Beit Hanoun and we had spent much of the day trying to organize a pause so that civilians could be evacuated, civilians including UNRWA staff and that never came."
Mr Gunness admits there are ongoing concerns over the stashing of weaponry in UN facilities.
"Well, we have found two caches of weaponry in two of our schools and we've been very quick to condemn this in the strongest possible terms - and make no mistake, we are quite clear that we condemn the group or groups who have been doing this. And on the other side it's clear we've taken direct hits from Israeli airpower to installations on three separate occasions. So, we again call on all parties to respect their obligations towards protecting civilians under international humanitarian law."
The United States and United Nations have strongly condemned the shelling of the UN school.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he's appalled.
"I'm telling to the parties -- both Israelis and Hamas, Palestinians -- that it's morally wrong to kill your own people. Whole world has been watching, is watching, with great concern. You must stop fighting and enter into a dialogue.
The United States has not explicitly blamed its ally Israel for the shelling, but it has urged all parties to redouble their efforts to protect civilians,
US Secretary of State John Kerry:
"The tragic incident today and everyday just underscores the work we're trying to do and that we're trying to achieve, so we're going to keep at it and we need to actually sit down and get to work."
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has met with new British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond as ceasefire talks remain stalled.
There's been little clarification of what framework any eventual ceasefire might take, but Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal says any end to the fighting must be accompanied by a lifting of the blockade on Gaza.
On Wednesday, the UN announced an investigation into allegations of Israeli war crimes in Gaza, prompting strong words of condemnation from Prime minister Netanyahu.
He said Israel is being unfairly demonised and Hamas is the real villain.
"This use of human shields is extraordinarily cynical, is grotesque, is inhumane, but what is equally grotesque is that Israel was condemned in the Human Rights Council. It's a travesty of justice, it's a travesty of fairness, it's a travesty of commonsense, it's a travesty of truth."
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