A spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has broken down in tears during a TV interview.

Chris Gunness - who earlier today spoke to Newstalk Breakfast - thanked the interviewer for their questions and then began to cry.

He was describing to TV network Al-Jazeera how shells had struck the Jabalia Elementary Girls School in the Jabalia, killing about 20 people and wounding at least 100.

The conflict has seen nearly 1,300 Palestinians and 56 Israeli soldiers killed in three weeks of fighting. Three Israeli civilians have also died.

Yesterday, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Pierre Krähenbühl said "children were killed as they slept next to their parents on the floor of a classroom in a UN designated shelter in Gaza. Children killed in their sleep; this is an affront to all of us, a source of universal shame. Today the world stands disgraced".

It comes as the Israeli ambassador to Ireland has defended its offensive in Gaza.

Gunness got to the end of the interview, before breaking down.