>> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ hello from doha, everyone, this is the news hour on al jazeera with the latest from gaza. there are renewed reports and signs in that live shot of shelling in the stern -- center of the strip. and the israelis fired on a un school. and the warnings from doctors without borders about

the ebola virus that has killed hundreds in west africa. and parts of los angeles are underwater, the culprit, a broken pipe spewing 30 million leet -- liters of water into the streets. to gaza first of all. signs of more shelling. that's after the attacks earlier today just after dawn when israeli tank shells hit a un school in gaza. at least 19 were killed in that attack. that has brought the total number killed up past 1300. more than 7,000 others injured. let's take you to the latest. the impact of this latest israeli missile strike. there are reports that the university in gaza has been hit. hamas said it has hit an israeli tank as well.

these pictures only -- i would say about ten or 15 minutes ago we got these. let's go to nicole johnson in ga gaza. >> yes, it hasn't turned out to be much of a ceasefire. the humanitarian pause as israel was calling it was in a very small part of gaza. just to update you, four people have been killed in central gaza from an ire strike. and four people were killed from tank shelling. we're getting reports just now of five people killed in the neighborhood east of the central part of gaza. that area that was devastated. so some people were there. and 50 wounded in another neighborhood. it has been a difficult one or two hours in gaza. we were driving right downtown in an area that israel had said

is part of this so-called pause or break in haostilities. this humanitarian pause so to speak, israel had said that it wouldn't include six areas of gaza, and those are those areas, many that i just mentioned, the whole eastern flank of gaza, it is more than 40% of gaza. just some other information that we have, a brigade as you said they are saying they hit an israeli tank, and they are saying that have carried out an ambush in the east. they say they ambushed a house that had 15 to 20 israeli soldiers in it, and therer were deaths in that. that is the military wing of

hamas, and they said they fired mortars towards town in israel. >> so nowhere is safe it doesn't matter if it's the coordinates of a un school or a marketplace or somewhere where there may or may not be rockets. >> that's right. and that's what we have been consistently saying for the last few days, and that's how people feel here as well. israel drops leaflets and sends out messages telling people to leave, and take refuge inside un schools, and time and time again these areas are being hit. most of the time israel is blaming it on the palestinian side, on hamas rockets that have been misfired or landed short. [ no audio. ] >> right.

we lost our audio from nick ole johnston. as we were talking about, though, just before we chatted to nicole this issue of this un facility that was hit in gaza, have a look at this now. >> reporter: doctors worked frantically to treat the wounded. the emergency ward of the hospital was overwhelmed after israeli forces shelled a un school being used as a shelter just after dawn. the majority of the dead and wounded are women and children. this man says he was asleep when the attack happened. >> translator: all of a sudden tank shells started falling all around us, we were showered with shrapnel, men, women, and children started running everywhere. it was terrifying. >> reporter: it's a pretty chaosic scene here at the hospital as medical workers try to treat the sheer volume of

casualties, and while people here are mourning the loss of their loved ones, and asking themselves where they can stay that is safe. this classroom was supposed to be safe. all that is left are the remnants of the live of people who took shelter here shortly after israel began bombarding the gaza strip more than three weeks ago. this is not the first time a school run by the un has been hit by the israeli military. >> translator: there is no safe place in gaza, not a school, not a mosque. people came to this un school for shelter. i have no idea where to tell them to go. >> reporter: this woman showed me where she and 20 of her family members sleep. she tells me she won't leave. >> translator: my house has already been destroyed where else can i go? am i supposed to sleep in the street? even the street didn't safe.

even if they bomb this place again, i won't leave. i have nowhere else to go. >> reporter: an israeli spokeswoman says the attack is being reviewed, but that's small comfort to those who have no choice but to stay here. so there is your live shot over gaza right now, the aftermath of quite a large attack it would appear. what we're getting from the gaza health ministry just now, confirming 15 people killed more than 160 injured in an attack on a densely populated part of the strip which has seen a lot of artillery fire in the last few days. 15 killed and more than 160 injured according to the gaza health ministry. now i still want to go back to this issue of the un school that was hit, because this is an on going thing. the agency that runs the school condemned the hit and accused

israel of violating international law. this is a speaksman for the united nations relief and works in the near east and spokes our diplomatic editor, james bayes. have a look. >> shock, and indignation, that's why we have condemned this in the stronger terms as a violation of international law. we're now in the realm of accountability. >> are you sure which side was responsible. >> we got a team to the site in hours, we looked at the shrapnel and damage, we are, according to our assessments saying that this is israeli artillery and we have no doubt about that. >> is it possible this could have been an accident? >> well, as far as intentionality is concerned, of course you will need to ask the israeli army. we have seen the school hit directly. this is an affront to the humanity of all of us.

the world should hang its head in shame. >> did you tell them about the location of this school? >> 17 times we called to give them the precise coordinates of the school and inform them of the fact that 3,300 people have taken refuge there. >> this is the second time this has happened with a large loss of life. how should the international community respond? >> we have made it quite clear that it is time for accountability. those with the power to act should take action. it has got to stop. we have moved away from the realm of humanitarian acts alone. our staff are being killed, the israelis are telling more people to leave, so there will soon be tens of thousands of people stranded in the streets of gaza, no food, no shelter, no blankets, there has to be concerted political action. >> are a senior un official, pa before that you were a professional journalist, so you

are used to seeing these things. how does this affect you? >> it is beyond belief that in the 21st century children, women, and civilian men can be subjected to this kind of outrage. palestinians have every single one of their rights denied them, including the right to life, and that includes children. it's a abomination and it needs to end. >> at least six un facilities have been hit since the offensive began three weeks ago. the un operates 85 sherlts in the gaza strip and more than 204,000 people are living in these facilities. let's talk to the united nations special coordinator for the middle east peace process. thank you for your time, sir. you give israel the coordinates of your shelters and schools, in fact chris said he made 17 calls

about this particular school, and yet israel still bombs them. it amounts to the united nations being treated with contempt, doesn't it? >> well, maybe just to correct you, i'm the commissioner general of [ inaudible ] >> i'm so sorry, sir. we have a cross line here. but do carry on. >> no problem. no problem. but just to make that clear. i think the feeling after the shelling this morning of the school is one of shock and indignation and total incomprehension at the fact that this can happen again after repeatedly engaging the israeli defense forces and israel on information about the locations of our school this and others, and to -- as you said, 17 times indicate where this particular school is, with 3,300 people inside, and that measures needed to be taken to ensure the protection inside a very dangerous war zone.

so the sentiment is one of incomprehension. >> it doesn't seem to matter what measures you take, does it? >> well, it matters a great deal, because people are inside and there is extensive loss of life -- >> of course, what i more meant is when you are talking about measures. those measures clearly don't mean anything to israel which is still willing to target these sites. >> it's the sixth time now that one of the facilities were hit. this morning we were clear with the elements we gathered on-site, sufficient evidence to show there was responsibility on the israeli side, and to engage it in terms of responsibility and accountability for these actions, because movement has to happen. we're no longer in the realm of humanitarian action, taking a few other measures, declaring that more protection is needed. it's now time for political action. there is no longer a place

inside gaza where people feel safe and where they are safe. and whilst we have repeatedly put out our message to all parties, and more has to be done and actions have to be take to ensure that the 200,000 people in these schools are protected. people were in these schools, because they received the strict shun from the israeli defense forces to move. they were there because they believed they would be safe. children lying alongside their mothers believed in those classrooms, they would at least be protected. the fact it was not the case is totally intolerable. >> we talked about 17 phone calls made 17 times that the israelis were told about the location of this school. after this attack happens what do you do? do you pick up the phone for the 18th time and can them what happened? and if so what is their reply?

>> this morning i picked up the phone and sent messages. it's part of a necessary set of steps where you put forward your own assessment, and it was a stark and direct and blunt assessment. and then what is the assessment on the other wide. i presume it will take a few days for them to put together their reports. we certainly expect that be done spe speedilly, and transparently. this has to happen because this is a serious violation of international law. >> here is the problem you have though, in that rockets -- and this is not to condone striking of a un school. but rockets has been found in un facilities and the un has admitted. in israel's eyes it takes them a target. and that's a problem for you. >> well, look, the fact that weapons were found on three

different occasions by staff in the context of our own verification, so it was not that we missed -- we carry out those investigations precisely to ensure that our premises are respected, protected, the sanctity ensured and guaranteed, and when we found out that weapons had been placed there by groups here in gaza, not only did we immediately inform all key actors and parties, but also made it known publicly. so the world knows about it because we were transparent about it. the second is a very important element contained in your own question. >> yeah. >> there simply cannot be by any stretch of the imagination a blanket statement suggesting that because weapons were found in three schools -- and i again, i repeat by us -- that that enables anyone under international law which rules the conduct of military operations to suggest that that can lead to a self exoneration

in result -- in relation to a attack like this morning. >> it would be unacceptable. but that's what you are up against. because this is the whole cruxing of israeli's operation. if there are rockets and also in this case of the un school being hit, they said militants were firing from nearby. so that will unfortunately immediately make you a target. >> but i have worked for 25 years in war zones, so i have heard all of the different speeches that parties can difference on these types of occasions. the only imperative from the perspective of unra is the humanitarian conduct, and say that these things must stop. we have lost seven of our staff members. on six occasions schools have been hit, and this doesn't even cover what the population is going through more widely.

so the reality is r rue -- humanitarian law gives specifications about the types of rules that parties have to respect in particular in densely populated areas, you cannot just carry out your military operations in disregard, and i'm not suggesting that we have analyzed everything thoroughly, but one cannot create links between weapons found in one school, and an another care rid out in another, where you have 3,300 people spending the night there because they believe they are protected. the world has failed them. and this is where we feel indignity today. >> thank you very much for your time. >> thank you. this is the current flash

point we want to talk about. you saw the big plume of black smoke. this is what it is like on the ground at the moment. the gaza health ministry saying 15 people dead, 150 wounded. bodies being pulled from the rubble. those of children as well. there you see it there, children on the ground there, after that strike. and this was as nicole johnston was pointing out, during the time when israel said there would be a lull -- humanitarian window, but only in selected areas of the gaza strip, and clearly this was not one of them. 15 dead, 150 wounded. that number changing, and we'll bring you the latest as soon as we get it. you'll see it online as well, aljazeera.com, that's a great place to keep up with all of the latest news. go to the website, it is constantly being updated by all

of our team here at al jazeera. still ahead this news hour. [ explosion ] >> caught in the cross fire foreigners in eastern ukraine fear they are trapped by the fighting. and an iraqi kurdish oil tanker finds its in limbo. and we'll here from rory maccel roi as he looks to reclaim golf stop world ranking. ♪ look a other news, ukrainian government say they are closing in on the pro-russian separatists in donetsk. at least 19 people have been killed during the past 24 hours. many more have left their homes to escape the violence. observers also belonging to the organization for security and cooperation in europe were

turned back again on wednesday. this latest attempt to get to the rubble of the downed airliner ended after discussions with pro-russian rebels. crash investigators may not even be able to finish their report at this stage? >> reporter: this is a dirty and brutal war that is not just being played out in the hills, but in heavily populated areas, and civilians are being killed. both sides have heavy artillery and they are using it. both sides are being blamed for shelling these areas. the same time there is also heavy fighting around the crash site of mh17, and for the fourth day in a row, investigators from australia and the netherlands have been unable to reach that

site, so it's becoming increasingly unlikely that they will be able to come up with a definitive conclusive report. for the ukrainians still left in donetsk these are tense times. until a few months ago it was a cosmopolitan city full of foreigners. barnaby phillips sent us this report. >> reporter: the trams still run. some people are even trying to enjoy the sunshine. but the boarded up shops tell the real story. this woman is ukrainian, her fiance is from chili. she ran a language school with 300 students. there are 5 left. she can't take it anymore. >> a mixture of emotions we can describe as anger and

disappointment, disillusion, and a little depression. >> every night we can see the shootings on the street, and two days ago, we -- we couldn't sleep really good, because there was shooting, fighting, 100 meters where -- where we live. >> reporter: this donetsk university in better sometimes it attracted hundreds of foreign students to the city. now nobody knows when the university will reopen. and many of those foreign students are stranded here. i met some africans who have been studying here. this is how our interview began. [ explosion ] >> translator: the war is coming

closer all the time with trains disrupted by the fighting, these students must decide whether to make the dangerous journey by road to kiev. >> translator: most of my cameroon friends are already in kiev. so we're trying to see if we can do the same thing. transfer our courses there. all of the f african students here just want piece. >> reporter: donetsk is a city of contrasts, a place where shells fall but flower beds are still tended to with loving care. it's all they can do, keep up appearances and hope for the best. the russian government says the u.s. will feel what it calls the tangible losses from its destructive and my optic statements. that statement after washington and the european union announced

more sanctions against russia. they target the energy, banking, and defense sectors. russia of course have made a trading partner with the eu. david shater has this report. >> reporter: the export of cut flowers brings a multi-million dollars bloom to the dutch economy each year. russia was a growing part of it, but each round of sanctions has blighted the business. brokers in this high-tech auction room are finding the falling ruble and rising energy costs for producers are pricing them out of russia's market. but this jarred warehouse is just down the road from where the downed flight mh17 began its fateful journey. this businessman believes russia

must be forced to pay the price. >> on one side you want to hurt russia, but on the other side you shoot yourself in the feet. >> reporter: what businessmen most fear is a retaller to strike by the kremlin. this is part owned by moscow's mega firm, gazprom. the european junior buys 60% of the export. >> here there is the classical clash between moral principles, between the humanitarian concerns, which are very obvious in the aftermath of the terrible downing of the airplane of

malaysian airways, and of course the geopolitical considerations that are at play. >> reporter: record rainfall in southern holland this week had everybody scrambling to repyre the dikes, but an economic storm could lie ahead for europe just struggling its way out of recession. the impact is far and wide. the crash of the malaysian airlines flight mh17 over eastern ukraine prompted a debate about flying over conflict zones. there has been a meeting about that, and they plan on putting together a task force to make sure information on flight safety reaches the right people at the right time. plenty ahead still on this news hour, including the joer danian specialists helping syrian children with war wounds.

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