UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to arrive in the area on Saturday as the total number of Palestinians killed in the current Israeli operation against Hamas has reached at least 333.

UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman told the UN Security Council on Friday that Ban would help both sides "in coordination with regional and international actors, end the violence and find a way forward."

The UN estimates that nearly 50,000 people in Gaza have sought refuge at UN facilities there.

Israel began a ground operation that included infantry and tanks on Thursday in the northern part of Gaza, and has indicated this operation could expand and be moved to southern Gaza as well.

One Israeli civilian and one Israeli soldier have been reported killed since the Jewish state launched its campaign on July 8 to stop rocket fire out of the area controlled by the militant Palestinian movement Hamas. The solider was killed in a friendly fire incident.

Concerns for civilians

The United States has supported Israel's right to defend itself, but US President Barack Obama said Washington was "deeply concerned about the risks of further escalation and the loss of more innocent life." He added that he hoped Israel would proceed "in a way that minimizes civilian casualties."

In the European Union, however, there are calls for a ceasefire.

"We call on all parties to immediately agree to a ceasefire," read a statement from the Council of the European Union on Friday. "We have already witnessed too many civilian deaths, including many children."

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius reiterated the EU's claims on Saturday. Speaking in Cairo, Fabius said a ceasefire is an "urgent imperative." He added that he fully supported a ceasefire proposal that had been brokered by Egypt earlier in the week, but has so far failed to take hold.

His Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukri, said at the same press conference in Cairo that the proposal "provides the needs of all sides and we will continue to offer it, hoping to get their support as soon as possible."

mz/hc (dpa, AFP, AP)