INTERNAL VIOLENCE DOWN IN GAZA, BUT PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI VIOLENCE ON THE RISE - UN

INTERNAL VIOLENCE DOWN IN GAZA, BUT PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI VIOLENCE ON THE RISE – UN
New York, May 17 2007 4:00PM
Following the Palestinian ceasefire, which took effect yesterday, internal violence has calmed in the Gaza strip, though Palestinian-Israeli clashes have escalated, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.

"There are some signs of improvement regarding civilian movement and the delivery of services throughout the Gaza Strip as the extent and intensity of violence has abated somewhat," UN spokesperson Michele Montas said in New York.

The situation in Gaza City, however, remains more volatile, <"http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=873&Lang=en">OCHA said. Two schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA) in Rafah, with about 3,000 pupils, came under fire earlier this afternoon as a result of ongoing clashes between Hamas and Fatah gunmen.

The children were forced to congregate on the first floor of the school, pending evacuation, for their own safety.
2007-05-17 00:00:00.000

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