Some 30 people were killed and 55 others injured , five of them critically , when three artillery shells landed at the perimeter of a school , which usually serves as a girls ' preparatory school , in the Jabaliya refugee camp , according to John Ging , UNRWA 's Director of Operations .
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Some 30 people were <m> killed </m> and 55 others injured , five of them critically , when three artillery shells landed at the perimeter of a school , which usually serves as a girls ' preparatory school , in the Jabaliya refugee camp , according to John Ging , UNRWA 's Director of Operations .
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today spoke out against Israel 's `` totally unacceptable '' attacks against three clearly-marked United Nations schools , where civilians were seeking refuge from the ongoing conflict in Gaza , with a senior official calling for an independent inquiry into the incidents which claimed dozens of lives .
More than two dozen schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East ( UNRWA ) are serving as temporary shelters to more than 15,000 Palestinians whose homes have been destroyed or who are fleeing the violence .
The agency 's education programmes have been suspended since the start of Israeli air attacks on Gaza , which Israel says it launched in response to rocket attacks by Hamas militants , on 27 December .
Civilians `` are seeking sanctuary in UNRWA schools because they have no other place to go and are not able to flee the Gaza Strip , '' Mr. Ban said in a statement .
Some 30 people were <m> killed </m> and 55 others injured , five of them critically , when three artillery shells landed at the perimeter of a school , which usually serves as a girls ' preparatory school , in the Jabaliya refugee camp , according to John Ging , UNRWA 's Director of Operations .
Also in Jabaliya , a boys ' school was attacked but it was empty , he said .
Last night , three Palestinians , who had sought refuge in a small co-educational UN school in Gaza City , died when a missile hit the building 's toilet facilities .
The three men who were killed were `` Gazans who had fled their home earlier that day , '' the UNRWA official said , adding that they thought `` they would be safe in a UN school in Gaza City . ''
These attacks reinforce the urgent need for a ceasefire to end the mounting casualties , he said , demanding an independent investigation into these attacks .
`` I sincerely hope that for the sake of those that have died , that it would not have been in vain . ''
In a separate incident , seven UN staff were injured , three seriously , along with three patients , when a strike on a nearby building caused significant collateral damage to a UNRWA health centre .
`` The location of all UN facilities have been communicated to the Israeli authorities and are known to the Israeli army , '' the Secretary-General said .
After earlier strikes , Israel 's Government had been warned that its operations were endangering UN facilities .
`` I am deeply dismayed that despite these repeated efforts , today 's tragedies have ensued , '' he said .
The Israeli attacks against UN sites housing civilians seeking refuge are `` totally unacceptable and must not be repeated , '' Mr. Ban stressed .
`` Equally unacceptable are any actions by militants which endanger the Palestinian civilian population . ''
These events highlight the dangers posed by continued and stepped up fighting , he said , reiterating his call for an immediate ceasefire .
Mr. Ban will speak further about the latest developments in Gaza and southern Israel during a public meeting this evening of the UN Security Council , chaired by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner .
The Council had met behind closed doors on Saturday after Israel expanded its week-old air strikes into a ground offensive into Gaza , but reached no formal agreement regarding the violence and worsening humanitarian situation .