(21 Jul 2014) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Cairo on Monday to try to end the deadliest conflict between Israel and
Gaza's Hamas rulers in just over five years.
US Secretary of State, John Kerry was also heading to Egypt as part of international mediation efforts.
Ban met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri upon his arrival and was scheduled to hold further talks with senior Egyptian officials.
But earlier Monday, Ismail Haniyeh, the top Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip signalled that the group would not agree to an unconditional cease-fire with Israel, while Israel's defence minister, Moshe Yaalon, pledged to keep fighting "as long as necessary" - raising new doubt about the highest-level mediation mission in two weeks.
Meanwhile, cross-border fighting continued unabated, with Israeli strikes leaving entire families buried under rubble and Hamas militants firing more than 50 rockets and trying to sneak into Israel through two tunnels, the latest in a series of such attempts.
Palestinian health officials said at least 550 Palestinians have been killed and 3,350 wounded since the new round of fighting started on July 8.
Twenty Israelis, including 18 soldiers, were also killed and several dozen wounded, including soldiers.
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