Residents: Hamas Militants Staged Attacks from Cover of UN School

GAZA CITY, Gaza (AP) - Residents of a Gaza neighborhood areconfirming Israel's claim that Hamas militants had opened fire fromthe cover of a U.N. school where hundreds of Palestinians hadsought refuge.

Israeli forces fired back with mortars, and hospital officialssays three dozen Palestinians were killed.

Two residents say a group of militants had fired their mortarsfrom a street near the school, then fled into a crowd of people inthe streets. The Israeli army says two of the dead were militants.It accuses Gaza's Hamas rulers of "cynically" using civilians ashuman shields.

Gaza health officials say a total of 70 Palestinians have beenkilled today, with just two confirmed as militants. A top U.N.officials is calling for an investigation into the mountingcivilian death toll.

Meanwhile, Israeli ground forces have been edging closer to twomajor towns in Gaza, despite international criticism over civiliandeaths and diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire.

There is also video of the palestinians firing on Israelis from the school. What is the IDF supposed to do? Just let the arabs keep shooting? NOPE, kill them. Everyone of them. They are martyrs in the eyes of the muslims anyway. Besides kill them young you have less to kill later.