U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon made an impassioned plea on Thursday (July 24) for Israel and Hamas to end their conflict and vehemently condemned the shelling of a U.N.-run school in the Gaza Strip. "I was shocked and appalled by what has happened in Beit Hanoun," Ban told reporters, referring to the northern Gaza town where the attack, in which at least 15 people died according to Gaza authorities, took place.