March 8, 2002	Friday	Zilhaj 23, 1422

UNITED NATIONS, March 7: An Israeli F-16 which bombed a Palestinian police compound in Gaza City on Thursday narrowly missed more than 3,000 refugee children in UN-run schools, a United Nations spokeswoman said here.

“This morning in Gaza City, an Israeli F-16 dropped a large bomb on a Palestinian police headquarters compound which exploded within 200 metres of 3,100 refugee children between the ages of six and 15,” spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.

The children were attending three schools run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

“The sound of the explosion, and the blast wave that followed, caused widespread panic and terror, but fortunately none of the children were injured,” Okabe said.

“The schools have now been closed and the children sent home for day,” she added.

Okabe quoted UNRWA commissioner general Peter Hansen as saying “the bombing of a crowded city centre at 9am on a weekday morning led to severe trauma among the children at the UN-run schools”.

Hansen added: “It is horrifying to think what would have happened if the bomb had gone astray, as indeed one did on Feb 20, when it landed on the roof of one of the schools but, thankfully, did not explode.”

Okabe said the UN had called on the Israeli army to cease bombing targts near UNRWA installations.

She noted that the attack occurred one day after the UN protested at an Israeli tank attack near an UNRWA-run school for the blind.—AFP