Nearly 50 Gazans were killed on Friday as Israel pressed forward with its major ground offensive. The latest deaths, among the nearly 290 Palestinians medics say have been killed since July 8, included three members of the same family, according to emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra.

Earlier on Friday, five members of a single family - two men, two women and a child - were killed by tank shelling on their home in northern Gaza's Beit Hanun.

Kidra said four children ranging from age two to 13, two of whom were brothers, were killed by tank shelling east of Gaza City.

Many of Friday's deaths were in the southern cities of Khan Yunis and Rafa, where a five-month-old baby was among those killed.

US President Barack Obama said Friday he had telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to voice his concern "about the risks of further escalation and the loss of more innocent life."

Preparing for 'significant' ground offensive expansion

Israel says its goal is to eliminate Hamas' tunnel network reaching across the border and curb rocket fire.

Israeli forces encountered little Hamas resistance in their first day of ground operations. One soldier was killed at the beginning of the offensive in what Israeli television called "friendly fire."

During a special cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to prepare for a "significant expansion" of the ground offensive.

"It is not possible to deal with tunnels only from the air. It needs to be done also from the ground," he said. "We chose to begin this operation after the other options were exhausted and with the understanding that without the operation, the price we will pay can be very high."

Ban seeks truce

In a bid to broker a truce, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was due to leave on Saturday for the Middle East to help mediate the conflict.

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said in New York that Ban had spoken to a Security Council meeting on the issue. He also said a ceasefire is "indispensable" for the urgently-needed humanitarian efforts to be successful.

"Israel has legitimate security concerns, and we condemn the indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza into Israel that ended yesterday's temporary ceasefire. But we are alarmed by Israel's heavy response," said Feltman.

Huge increase in displaced Palestinians

The ground operation, which began on Thursday night, has seen the number of Gazans fleeing their homes in the past 24 hours "nearly double," according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

"The number of people coming to UNRWA seeking sanctuary from the fighting in Gaza has nearly doubled today. It has risen from 22,000 to over 40,000," said agency spokesman Chris Gunness.

dr/kms (AFP, Reuters, AP)