Jerusalem - The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, would only resume its full operations in the Gaza Strip after it received safety assurances from the Israeli military, an official said Friday.

"We need an effective mechanism of coordination and that must include every soldier in the Israeli army knowing that it does not fire on clearly marked UN vehicles," UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"We have to receive from the Israeli authorities an absolute guarantee that this effective coordination mechanism is in place," he stressed.

Two UN local employees were killed Thursday when their aid convoy came under Israeli fire. The UN said their movement was coordinated with the military.

An International Red Cross convoy also came under fire, and a driver was injured, prompting that agency as well to limits its movements Friday.

"Our workers are being caught in indirect fire, and therefore we have taken this regrettable decision," Gunness explained the agency's move to halt all staff movement.

The temporary suspension of activities "primarily affects food distribution and other UNRWA operations that involve significant vehicle movement across Gaza," the agency said in a statement.

UNRWA is the largest aid agency in Gaza and serves about half of the 1.5 million residents. (dpa)