The United Nations has cited witnesses accusing Israel of killing 30 people inside a house filled with Palestinians who had been evacuated there by Israeli troops.

The witnesses told the UN that Israel had evacuated about 110 Palestinians into the house - then repeatedly shelled it 24 hours later, killing the civilians inside.

The UN was quoted by the AFP as saying: 'according to several testimonies, on 4 January Israeli foot soldiers evacuated approximately 110 Palestinians into a single-residence house in Zeitun (half of whom were children) warning them to stay indoors

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'Twenty-four hours later, Israeli forces shelled the home repeatedly, killing approximately 30.'
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) called it 'one of the gravest incidents since the beginning of operations' by Israeli forces in Gaza on December 27, AFP said.

'Those who survived and were able walked two kilometres to Salah Ed Din road before being transported to hospital in civilian vehicles. Three children, the youngest of whom was five months old, died upon arrival at the hospital,' OCHA was quoted as saying in a report on the situation in the battered Gaza Strip.