Livni and Olmert during cabinet meeting
Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom, GPO
Livni: Shelling Gaza College a hit on 'death sciences' department
Army says college that was bombed twice in past week was used as lab for developing long-range rockets, mortars, calls it 'the Palestinian Rafael'
Tzipi Livni shrugged off the criticism of Israel's bombing of structures near the Islamic College in Gaza, being heard throughout the academic world.
During Sunday's cabinet meeting the foreign minister said "here we have departments of life sciences, while for them it is the department of death sciences."
According to intelligence information gathered by the IDF and Shin Bet, the compound near the Islamic college, bombed twice in the past week, was being used as a chemical lab and as Hamas' explosives lab in Gaza.
Military officials said terrorists had been working there to produce improved rockets and manufacture mortar shells that were later fired toward Israel's home front.
The Prime Minister's Office and the IDF dubbed the lab as "the Palestinian Rafael (Israel's leading developer of arms related technology)."
Destruction at Islamic College (Photo: AFP)
Livni is schedule to meet later on Sunday with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov, the first foreign diplomat to arrive in Israel as part of the international community's efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his foreign minister Bernard Kouchner are due to arrive in Israel in the coming days, as are a number of Scandinavian diplomats.
Meanwhile, Livni is expected to meet with activists asking to transfer aid to Gaza. The FM is expected to inform them of the establishment of an Israeli office that will deal with similar requests.
