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Palestinian death toll in Israeli strikes rises to 234: UN

By DPA

Geneva : Up to 234 Palestinians have been killed in 2008 till date as a result of Israeli military attacks as against 301 in 2007, according to figures published by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Tuesday.

UNRWA said 123 Palestinians including 55 unarmed civilians, among them 27 children, died last week as a result of Israeli military operations. Five Israelis were killed in the same period, four from military operations inside Gaza and one by a rocket landing in Israel.

The Israeli army had acted as Gaza-based militants showered southern Israel with 258 missiles and mortars.

The agency described last Saturday, when 63 Palestinians were killed and 172 injured, as the “deadliest” day for Palestinians since 2000.

It called for an end to the cycle of attack and counter attack in Gaza and for a return to peaceful dialogue.

UNRWA, which provides basic services for Palestinian refugees, said only 12 of 214 schools in Gaza were operational because of damage or shortages of materials.

School attendance in the north of the Strip was nil, 20 per cent in Gaza City and at best stood at between 40 to 65 per cent in central areas.