Eighteen members of the extended al-Athamna lost their lives in the incident that Israel called a "technical failure".

This is typical of the everyday hell that the people of Gaza have to live with. The city is on the brink of collapse after the Islamic extremist Hamas party took Gaza by force last month.

Israel, which regards Hamas as terrorists, has stopped directing funds into the city and has closed the trading border. No food is being imported into Gaza and the shop shelves are running out of stock.

Around 1.1 million of Gaza's 1.4 million residents now live in refugee camps and rely solely on the United Nations to feed and house them.

The Irishman in charge of the UN there, John Ging, has warned that if a political solution is not found, the local economy will collapse and civil war will break out . . . a breeding ground for the next generation of extremists.

Last week the Sunday Tribune paid a visit to one of the most dangerous regions in the world. Our visit coincided with the release of BBC journalist Alan Johnston who had been held by a criminal gang for 114 days. Westerners have deserted Gaza because of the very real danger of kidnapping.

Over a dozen journalists have been snatched over the past year. The few UN staff that remain in the city cannot leave their compound without armed guards.

Militants now launch rockets into Israel from Gaza on an almost daily basis and innocent people are often caught up and killed as Israel retaliates with deadly force.

We witnessed the miserable conditions that are now normal for Palestinian people. We saw thousands of people queuing for food, children playing in raw sewerage, and we spoke to families that have seen their loved ones murdered.

We also saw how Co Laois man John Ging and his UN colleagues are desperately attempting to pull the city back from the brink of anarchy.

Ging has appealed for the Irish government to pay the plight of the Gaza people more attention before it is too late.