Gaza - At least three people, a woman and two children, were killed Saturday when an Israeli artillery shell landed near a United Nations school in the northern Gaza Strip, medics and witnesses said.

Local media reported that hundreds of people were at the school seeking refuge from the ongoing fighting in the enclave.

Several UN facilities in Gaza have been hit in Israel's Operation Cast Lead, including shelters, a school - where 40 people were killed - and a central compound where a warehouse containing large supplies of food and medicine was burned to the ground.

The military had no immediate comment. (dpa)