Tel Aviv - A three-hour humanitarian lull on Friday was disturbed by a continuation of fighting in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli defence official said.

"We decided to implement the lull but the Palestinians continued to shoot. So, of course, we returned fire," said Peter Lerner from the ministry of defence.

Television footage showed heavy Israeli military activity in the Gaza Strip during the time of the lull, which was scheduled to start at 1 pm (1100 GMT).

Tel Aviv/Beirut  - Unknown militants fired at least three Katyusha rockets into northern Israel early Thursday morning, prompting the Israeli army to return fire into south Lebanon, Israeli and Lebanese officials said.

An Israeli police spokesman said the Lebanese salvo lightly injured two people in the coastal city of Nahariya, 10 kilometres south of the border with Lebanon. Others were treated for shock.

One Katyusha hit the roof of a retirement home in the city, blowing a hole in the roof and shattering windows.

Tel Aviv/Jerusalem  - Israel welcomed Wednesday a Franco- Egyptian proposal to end 13 days of fighting between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, which has left hundreds dead and thousands more injured.

Israel also instituted a three-hour lull in the fighting in the salient, to allow Palestinians living there to stock up on necessities.

"Israel welcomes the (Franco-Egyptian) initiative and is working on it and is interested in its success," government spokesman Mark Regev said.

Tel Aviv/Gaza  - Human rights organizations are voicing growing concern about civilian deaths in Gaza, not least after Israeli shells landed outside a UN school, killing 42 Palestinians and wounding dozens.

They were among several hundred residents of Gaza's crowded Jabaliya refugee camp who had sought shelter in the neutral UN building, but instead found themselves caught in the single deadliest incident since Israel's Gaza offensive got underway.

Tel Aviv, Jan. 7 : Israel has temporarily stopped attacking Gaza to allow aid supplies and fuel to reach the 1.4 million residents of the territory.

Sky News quoted the Israeli military as saying that firing would be stopped for three hours every day to allow the movement of essential aid.

The deputy leader of the Hamas also promised on Al Arabiya television that the group would not launch missiles during that time.

Meanwhile Israel''s President Shimon Peres has said that he is willing to consider a permanent cease-fire, but maintained that his people were victims in the Gaza conflict.