New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged Israel and Hamas to declare an immediate ceasefire and for the world community to do more to assist victims of the three-day-old conflict.

Ban reiterated his condemnation of the fighting by the two sides, warning of the "frightening nature" of the crisis because of its affect on civilians in the Gaza Strip, half of whom are children.

He called for the observance of humanitarian law in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Israel and Hamas must halt their acts of violence and take all necessary measures to avoid civilian casualties," Ban told a news conference. "A ceasefire must be declared immediately. They must also curb their inflammatory rhetorics."

He said dialogue can begin only following a ceasefire.

"The regional and international partners have not done enough," he said. "They should do more and use all possible means to end the violence and encourage a political dialogue and emphasize peaceful ways to resolve the differences."

Ban said he had been in touch with government leaders around the world this past weekend and continued to hold discussions to resolve the conflict, which has killed more than 340 people and injured hundreds.

He said the Israeli government has given him guarantees to reopen crossings into Gaza so that humanitarian and medical supplies can reach the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza. Ban said he was still in discussions with the Israeli government to carry out those guarantees.

UN humanitarian coordinator chief in New York, John Holmes, said the UN Palestinian refugee office in the Middle East would need 100 trucks of relief supplies a day, but apparently only about 60 trucks reached their destinations (dpa)