– Ceasefire push –
Following top-level talks in Cairo, Ban went to Tel Aviv and appealed to both sides to lay down arms.
“Stop fighting, start talking and take on the root causes of the conflict so that we are not at the same situation in the next six months or a year.”
The UN chief described Hamas rocket fire on Israel as “shocking” and said it must “stop immediately”.
But he also said Israel must exercise “maximum restraint” in Gaza, and he urged it to take a hard look at some of the root causes of the conflict “so people will not feel they have to resort to violence as a means of expressing their grievances”.
Meanwhile in Cairo, Kerry discussed ceasefire proposals with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
The top US diplomat again placed the onus on Hamas to accept a ceasefire, backing an Egyptian truce initiative as a “framework” to end the fighting.
And a senior Palestinian official said talks were ongoing between president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas for a ceasefire.
Abbas pledged that Israel would be held accountable for Gaza deaths. READ: In Gaza, whatever the target, children often the victims.
“We will pursue all those who commit crimes against our people, however long it takes,” he said in televised comments ahead of an emergency meeting of the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah.
The meeting’s concluding statement called for “widespread popular protest in solidarity with Gaza and the resistance.”
Shortly afterwards, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man in clashes at the West Bank village of Hussan, near Bethlehem, Palestinian security sources told AFP.
An Israeli army spokeswoman told AFP that he had been one of about of about 50 people throwing rocks and petrol bombs at soldiers.
“One of the protesters was apparently hit by rubber bullets and died from that,” she said.
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