Israel offers compensation

2009-07-03 17:13

Warsaw - Israel has offered compensation for damage to United Nations facilities hit by its offensive in the Gaza Strip, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency said on Friday.

"The Israelis have indicated that they will pay compensation, particularly for our buildings that have been destroyed," said Karen Koning AbuZayd, director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

"So we're hopeful that that will happen, and that we'll be able to have compensation for the damages that we incurred," including to a warehouse, schools and clinics, she told reporters during a visit to Poland.

Koning AbuZayd - who is touring Europe to drum up support for her cash-strapped agency - did not give a figure for the damage.

She explained that Israeli diplomats in New York had been locked in compensation talks with aides to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the world body's lawyers and that discussions on figures were still ongoing.

Israel launched its 22-day offensive on the densely-populated Palestinian territory of 1.5 million people in December.

More than 1 400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during the offensive, which Israel said was aimed at halting Palestinian rocket fire from the territory where the Islamist Hamas movement seized power in June 2007.

- SAPA