Israel shelled the UN headquarters in Gaza yesterday - a move condemned as 'indefensible' by Gordon Brown.
As the bombardment intensified, two hospitals were also hit.
And using unusually strong language, the Prime Minister said: 'UN staff are working on behalf of the international community.
Chaos: An injured boy is taken to hospital in Gaza after the bombardment on Thursday
'Indefensible': A woman flees the UN building in Gaza as fire-fighters battle to put out the flames after an Israeli attack
'Any attack on them is unacceptable, as Israel has acknowledged.'
Hours before, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had said: 'I conveyed my strong protest and outrage to the defence minister and foreign minister.'
The shelling engulfed in fire the UN compound and a warehouse, destroying thousands of pounds of food and humanitarian supplies intended for Palestinian refugees.
About 700 Palestinians had been sheltering in the building.
Sorry: Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, left, has apologised to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, right, over the shelling of the UN compound
Israel's attack was another blow to efforts to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The compound houses the UN Works and Relief Agency, which distributes food aid to hundreds of thousands of destitute Gazans in the tiny seaside territory of 1.4million.
John Ging, director of the Agency's operations in Gaza, said the attack caused a 'massive explosion' which wounded three.
Shells first hit the courtyard filled with refugees, then struck garages and the UN's main warehouse.
Later, fuel supplies went up in flames, sending up a thick black plume of smoke.
UN workers fight to put out the flames inside their headquarters. The UN claimed Israel had used white phosphorous in the attack
Outside the compound Palestinian fire-fighters joined in the battle to save the UN building
'It's a total disaster for us,' Mr Ging said. The Israeli military knows the precise location of the compound.
But although prime minister Ehud Olmert apologised, he said the bombardment had been in response to fire from Palestinian gunmen at the compound.
The Al-Quds and Red Crescent hospitals, and a tower block housing journalists, were also hit, as the death toll rose to at least 1,073 with more than 5,000 wounded.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces pushed deeper into Gaza city, unleashing their heaviest shelling yet.
Ablaze: Palestinians gather as firefighters try to control the fire after an Israeli airstrike in the Rafah refugee camp
Hamas's interior minister, Saeed Seyyam, was killed in an air strike.
Analysts believe that Israel is stepping up military operations to complete its action before Tuesday's inauguration of Barack Obama as U.S. president.
It began the offensive on December 27, saying it aimed to end Hamas rocket
Deadly: Flares light up the sky during shelling over Gaza City
Rockets have killed 13 Israelis since then. Police said 20 rockets hit southern Israel yesterday, injuring ten.
Israel and Hamas have met with Egyptian mediators who are proposing a truce.
But diplomats said the two sides remained at odds over the fine print.
Dazed: Palestinian families flee their homes as the war continued to ravage Gaza
'The gates of Hell': An explosion tears through the sky after an Israeli air strike in Rafah
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