Two Palestinian employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) have been shot dead in the Gaza Strip.
The agency said it was suspending most of its operations due to the internal fighting between members of Hamas and Fatah.
UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness said one of the employees was shot in the abdomen yesterday and died today. The other employee was shot in the head today.
Mr Gunness said they are the first UN employees killed in Gaza since internal fighting erupted last year.
Mr Gunness said they appeared to have been caught in the crossfire and not targeted because of their work for the UN agency, which provides services to Palestinian refugees.
"In view of increased threats to our staff, UNRWA has no choice but to scale back its operations in Gaza with immediate effect," he said. He said the agency was temporarily suspending all but emergency medical and food programmes.