Nov 8 (Reuters) - Here are the latest developments on the shelling of northern Gaza by Israeli artillery. HEADLINES * Israeli artillery shells kill 18 Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza, local officials and witnesses say, prompting swift vows of retaliation from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. * Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz orders an inquiry, and a halt to shelling in Gaza until it is completed. * Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office says he and Peretz "voiced sorrow over the deaths of Palestinian civilians". * Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas calls for the suspension of talks aimed at forging a unity government. * The White House urges restraint and says it hopes for a swift completion of an investigation into the attack. * Israel draws fire from the European Union, with external relations chief Benita Ferrero-Waldner saying the attack was "profoundly shocking". * The Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the world's largest Islamic body, accuses Israel of war crimes. * Syria condemns the attack and says the international community and the U.N. Security Council have a duty to stop such "massacres" and hold Israel accountable. * The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA warns of an "explosion" in Gaza with Israel's military offensives worsening a humanitarian crisis. QUOTES "We saw legs, we saw heads, we saw hands scattered in the street." -- Beit Hanoun resident Attaf Hamad, 22. "We fled the house only to be hunted outside. The shells killed my mother and sister and wounded all my siblings." -- wounded Palestinian teenager Asma al-Athamna. "The killing this morning of so many civilians in Gaza, including many children, is a profoundly shocking event." EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. "Our condemnation will not be in words but in deeds, the resistance will respond." -- Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal "We deeply regret the injuries and loss of life in Gaza today. We have seen the Israeli government's apology and hope their investigation will be completed quickly." -- Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
