U.N. agency halts Gaza operations over Israeli fire

GAZA (Reuters) - A United Nations aid agency said on Thursday it suspended all of its operations in the Gaza Strip because of the risk posed by Israeli forces in the territory.

An Israeli tank shell on Thursday killed two Palestinian forklift drivers in a convoy for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the U.N. said.

Schools run by UNRWA have also been hit by Israeli fire, killing more than 45 Palestinians, medical officials in Gaza said.

"UNRWA decided to suspend all its operations in the Gaza Strip because of the increasing hostile actions against its premises and personnel," Adnan Abu Hasna, the agency's Gaza-based spokesman, said.

He did not say how long the suspension would last.

U.N. spokesman Richard Miron said the Israeli army had been notified in advance about the UNRWA convoy, which was hit as it approached the Erez crossing with Israel.

After the incident, all convoys to Erez and the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing were suspended.

Kerem Shalom has been the main crossing point used for bringing humanitarian supplies into Gaza.

"This underlines the fundamental insecurity inside Gaza at a time when we are trying to address the dire humanitarian needs of the population there," Miron said.