Cairo - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon began an intensive mission to try to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, as the reported death toll from Israel's 19-day offensive against Hamas topped 1 000.
Mr Ban met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan on Wednesday to discuss the ceasefire mission.
"My goal is an immediate end to the violence in Gaza - an end to Israel's military offensive and a halt to the rocket attacks by Hamas [cited by Israel as the reason for its attack].
"It is intolerable that civilians bear the brunt of this conflict," he told reporters after meeting Mr Mubarak in Cairo, appealing to those who have influence with the parties to use all means to end the conflict and to find a durable solution."
Mr Ban, who then went to Jordan for talks with King Abdullah, is also scheduled to confer with the leaders of Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria in an intensified drive for a diplomatic solution and relief for the humanitarian crisis now besetting Gaza, which UN officials have called "horrific" with thousands of wounded and desperate shortages of basic necessities.
"At each stop, I will repeat my call for an immediate and durable ceasefire and insist that Security Council Resolution 1860 [demanding a ceasefire] be fully respected by all the parties," he told reporters, spelling out his agenda.
"Second, I will demand that urgent humanitarian assistance be provided, without restriction, to those in need. The United Nations' mandate is to help those who are suffering.
"Third, I will encourage diplomatic efforts underway among concerned parties, and in that regard I highly recommend the initiative of President Mubarak and the Egyptian Government officials," he added, calling for intensified negotiations to provide arrangements and guarantees to sustain a durable ceasefire.
He said Mr Mubarak's efforts in this regard were crucial. Israel has demanded an end to Hamas rocket attacks and measures to cut off the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, while Hamas has called for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the opening of border crossings which Israel has frequently closed in response to rocket attacks, cutting of vital supplies for Gaza's 1.5 million people.
The Gaza Director of Operations of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), John Ging, told a news conference in New York by video link from ground zero that: "Sadly the horrific conflict here continues with its very deadly and destructive consequences for the ordinary people."
According to Gazan Health Ministry officials, the death toll stood at 1 003, with 4 482 people wounded.
Mr Ging has previously called Palestinian casualties figures credible, with 42 percent of the dead and nearly 50 percent of the injured listed as women and children - mostly children.
He noted that the daily three-hour lull instituted by Israel for the delivery of food and other supplies within Gaza was not widely respected, but 103 truckloads of necessities from Israel were due on Wednesday, while electricity power was at 40 percent.
Meanwhile, UN agencies are focussing on the tremendous suffering of people under their mandate, with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) calling on the parties ensure the protection of children, some 300 of whom have been killed and more than 1 500 wounded.
"Each day more children are being hurt, their small bodies wounded, their young lives shattered," Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said in a statement.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that the violence and displacement presented serious risks to more than 40 000 pregnant women and their babies.
"Without attention to their special needs, including safe access to proper care and nutrition, many of them could suffer from silent deaths and injuries that are easily preventable under normal conditions," said Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid.
UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes on Wednesday allocated some $7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for Gaza.
"Humanitarian needs in Gaza are massive, and this funding will help jump-start urgent programmes to provide food and clean water to those seeking to survive the fighting," he said.
The UN General Assembly is scheduled to discuss the conflict on Thursday.
