UN secretary calls for Gaza ceasefire
Published:Tuesday | January 13, 2009 | 7:52 AM
The UN secretary general has implored Israel and Palestinian militants to halt the fighting in Gaza immediately.
Ahead of a trip to the region to push for a truce, Ban Ki-moon said too many people had died and there had been too much civilian suffering.
His call came as Israeli ground forces and tanks moved deeper into urban areas and air strikes across the Gaza Strip continued for a 17th day.
Nearly 30 rockets or mortars were fired on Israel from Gaza yesterday.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Palestinian militants will keep on feeling Israel\'s iron fist as long as Hamas fires rockets at Israel.
But a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniya, said the group was approaching victory.
Both Hamas and Israel rejected last week\'s UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Palestinian medical sources say about 300 children are among the 910 people killed in Gaza so far.