UN urges Israel to let Gazans leave

Jan 05 - Aid agencies say Gaza'a 1.5 million population are in dire need of food, water and medical supplies but Israel's round-the-clock bombardment is hampering relief efforts.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres urged Israel on Monday to allow civilians in Gaza to flee Israeli-Palestinian fighting by crossing the border into Egypt.

In a statement issued from his Geneva office, Guterres also implicitly told Egypt -- and other countries that do not have frontiers with Gaza -- that they had a duty to give shelter to refugees from the conflict.

Israel has allowed some foreign passport holders living in Gaza to leave but borders have been sealed to all but limited humanitarian aid shipments.

Helen Long reports.