Gaza bloodshed deepens, death toll reaches 692

GAZA/JERUSALEM: Gaza fighting raged on Wednesday, displacing thousands more Palestinians in the battered territory as US Secretary of State John Kerry said efforts to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas had made some progress.

In a blow to Israel´s economy and image, American aviation authorities extended a ban on US flights to Tel Aviv for a second day, spooked by rocket salvoes out of the Gaza Strip, with many other global airlines also avoiding the Jewish state.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, speaking in Qatar, praised the group´s fighters, whom he said had made gains against Israel and said he supported a humanitarian truce but a ceasefire would only be acceptable in exchange for easing Gazans´ plight.

"Let´s agree first on the demands and on implementing them and then we can agree on the zero hour for a ceasefire... We will not accept any proposal that does not lift the blockade...We do not desire war and we do not want it to continue but we will not be broken by it," he said.

Adding to the pressure on Israel, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said there was "a strong possibility" that it was committing war crimes in Gaza, where 692 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.

She also condemned indiscriminate rocket fire out of Gaza and the United Nations Human Rights Council said it would launch an international inquiry into alleged violations. (Reuters)