World powers struggle to end Gaza fighting

World powers struggled on Tuesday to find ways to press Israel and Hamas to end their conflict despite widespread anger over the mounting toll.

Divisions within the western powers and Israel's warning to expect "prolonged conflict" blunted diplomatic initiatives to halt Israel's air strikes on Gaza and Palestinian rocket attacks into Israeli territory.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice renewed calls for a halt to the fighting during telephone talks, Moscow said.

They were to join a conference call with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, France's Bernard Kouchner, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and senior Middle East envoy Tony Blair, the European Commission said.

Kouchner was also to host a meeting of European Union foreign ministers aiming to agree a ceasefire call.

The international community has largely agreed on the need for both sides to halt the bombardments, though Germany and the United States have blamed the fighting squarely on the Palestinian Islamist movement.

The United States has backed Israel's right to defend itself and Israel's warning to expect a long campaign has also undermined hopes of a quick end to the bloodshed that has already left more than 360 Palestinians and four Israelis dead since Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that the bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza was "the first of several stages" approved by his government.

"We are ready for a prolonged conflict and for weeks of combat," said Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai.

Following talks with Rice, the Russian foreign minister's office said: "The sides called for an immediate stop to violence and a resumption of the state of calm."

They swapped views on "coordinating efforts to facilitate the end of violent confrontation" and creating conditions for new negotiations.

The European Commission said in a statement it was "extremely concerned" over the plight of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

"It calls for an immediate halt to military hostilities that are having a heavy impact on the civilian population in Gaza. It also firmly calls for a halt to the rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians."

The statement came ahead of a Paris meeting of EU foreign ministers where Kouchner was to try to persuade member states to back a joint ceasefire call.

The EU could also propose measures to help calm tempers, including a revival of a suspended EU observer mission to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, a Paris-based diplomat said.

Egypt temporarily opened the checkpoint to allow wounded Palestinians out of Gaza, but Europe would like to oversee a more permanent arrangement to allow in aid and end the Hamas-controlled territory's isolation.

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak said the Rafah crossing would remain closed until the Palestinian president, Mahmud Abbas, regains control of Gaza from his Hamas rivals and EU observers are deployed.

The EU mission could eventually extend to Israel's closed border crossings with the Palestinian enclave, in order to build trust and persuade Israel to scale back its own blockade, the diplomat said.

The Paris ministerial meeting was to begin at 1730 GMT and be followed by a joint communique, officials said.

On Sunday, the UN Security Council approved a non-binding statement calling for "an immediate halt to all violence" in Gaza and urging all sides "to stop immediately all military activities."

Nevertheless, Hamas has fired more than 250 rockets into Israeli territory and Israeli air strikes have taken a mounting toll that includes 57 civilians while 1,690 people have been wounded.

The crisis erupted on December 19 when a six-month old ceasefire between Hamas and Israel expired. The Palestinian group refused to renew the truce and stepped up rocket attacks on Israeli civilian targets. Israel started its air strikes on Saturday.