New York  - With major hostilities having ended in Gaza Strip in the past month, the territory is faced with a renewal of fighting because of the lack of a "proper ceasefire," the UN special coordinator for Middle East peace said Wednesday.

Negotiations have been underway under Egyptian mediation for a permanent ceasefire while Israel has declared several unilateral ceasefires.

"One month since unilateral ceasefires were declared, a proper ceasefire regime is still not in place, and there is an ever present danger of a return to the unsustainable conditions of last year, or even for renewed and more devastating violence," Robert Serry told the UN Security Council in its monthly discussion of the situation in the Middle East.

Serry said attacks in the past month involving both Israel and Hamas have been "irresponsible and unacceptable."

Palestinian militants fired 15 rockets and 12 mortar rounds into Israel while the Israeli Defence Forces flew 19 airstrikes in Gaza. Four Israeli soldiers and six Palestinians were killed in the past month.

"There is an urgent need for all acts of violence to cease and for full respect of international humanitarian law by all parties," Serry said.

He said a daily average of 146 truckloads of goods entered Gaza in the past month through crossing points, which are four times the rates of December, 2008, but only a third of what entered the territory in May, 2007.

He said Gaza Strip remains desperately short of basic household, commercial and industrial goods and supplies. He said 90 per cent of the current traffic across the crossings in the past month were for food and medical supplies. (dpa)