Aid groups critical of Israelis

JERUSALEM — International aid groups lashed out at Israel on Thursday over the war in Gaza, saying access is poor to civilians in need, relief workers are being hurt and killed, and Israel is neglecting its obligations to Palestinians who are trapped.

The United Nations declared a suspension of aid operations after one of its drivers was killed and two others were wounded despite driving U.N.-flagged vehicles and coordinating their movements with the Israeli military. The U.N. secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, called for an investigation by Israel for a second time in a week after the more than 40 deaths near a U.N. school from Israeli tank fire Tuesday.

The International Committee of the Red Cross reported finding what it called shocking scenes Wednesday, including four emaciated children next to the bodies of their dead mothers. In a rare and critical statement, it said it believed "the Israeli military failed to meet its obligation under international humanitarian law to care for and evacuate the wounded."

Israeli officials said they were examining the allegations, they did not aim at civilians and they were not certain the source of fire that killed and wounded the U.N. drivers was Israeli.

"We do our utmost to avoid hitting civilians, and many times we don't fire because we see civilians nearby," said Maj. Avital Leibovich, chief army spokeswoman.

A Red Cross spokeswoman, Anne-Sophie Bonefeld, said that when the children and others were rescued Wednesday, workers had to leave behind a number of bodies. On Thursday, she said, 100 civilians were rescued from the same Gaza City neighborhood.

Early today, an Israeli airstrike flattened a five-story building in northern Gaza, killing at least seven people, including an infant, Hamas security officials said. It was not clear whether the owner of the destroyed house was linked to Hamas.

Militants in Lebanon fired several Katyusha rockets into the northern Israeli town of Nahariya on Thursday. Hezbollah, which fought a war with Israel in 2006 that included thousands of rockets, said it was not responsible for the rockets. Israel responded with mortar fire.

About 750 Palestinians and 13 Israelis have died in the 13 days of fighting in Gaza, an assault launched by Israel in an attempt to halt rocket fire from the territory, controlled by Hamas. Hamas said it fired 25 rockets and 12 mortars at Israel on Thursday.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.