Gunmen storm UN compound in Gaza City

Palestinian protesters stormed the UN compound in Gaza City yesterday during a protest against Israel's bombing of a building in southern Lebanon that killed around 60 people, witnesses and UN staff said.

Hundreds of members of Islamic Jihad militant group, some throwing stones and others firing rounds from assault rifles, attacked the compound at the end of a rally, witnesses said.

At least two people were wounded. UN staff were inside the compound at the time, but managed to escape, a UN official said. He said the site, which includes scores of buildings, was heavily ransacked by the demonstrators.

Witnesses said UN guards appeared to set off tear gas grenades to allow staff time to get away.

"The situation is very tense," the UN official said. Members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's special guard arrived shortly afterwards and managed to disperse some of the crowd by firing into the air.

Gunfire could be heard from within the compound but it was not clear who was firing at whom, witnesses said.

The attack came hours after a violent assault by Lebanese demonstrators against the UN headquarters in Beirut.

Witnesses said extensive damage had been caused to the United Nations's Gaza compound, from where it directs its relief and aid operations for the whole of the Gaza Strip.

Earlier, Lebanese protesters broke into the UN headquarters in Beirut smashing windows and ransacking offices.

Several thousand people massed outside the building in downtown Beirut chanting "Death to Israel, death to America. We sacrifice our blood and souls for Lebanon".