Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 15 people, more rockets hit southern Israel while international pressure mounts for truce.
TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed 15 people Monday, Palestinians said, and more rockets hit southern Israel while international pressure mounted for a truce.
The Palestinian death toll had risen to more than 80 since the clashes began last week and U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, among others, called for a cease-fire.
"This must stop," Ban said.
The conflict had its most violent day Sunday.
Israeli missiles were reported to have killed at least 30 Palestinians, including 10 members in three generations of a single family when a Gaza City home was flattened by an bomb.
Three people had been killed and at least 79 wounded by rockets fired against southern Israel, officials said Sunday.
One rocket exploded in a schoolyard, others near homes, officials said.
The Israeli army said one of the airstrike targets was a stadium used by militants to fire long-range rockets at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Preparations for an Israeli ground invasion continued, Israel Radio said.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Ban was to meet with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Monday, a day after Morsi met with Hamas leaders to discuss "Egyptian efforts to end the aggression."
Palestinian negotiator Nabil Sha'ath, in Cairo to assist in negotiations, said they had entered a serious stage but doubted an agreement would be reached soon.
Turkey and Qatar were involved in the Egyptian-brokered negotiations, he said.
An Israeli negotiator arrived in Cairo Sunday to participate in talks, reports said.
A cease-fire "is not likely to take effect in the coming days because Israel is trying to impose its own stipulations ignoring the demands of Hamas and other Palestinian factions," Sha'ath told Ma'an.
Ynetnews.com said Israel is demanding Hamas and other factions in Gaza agree to a cessation of all hostilities for a period of more than 15 years, and a halt to rocket fire and arms smuggling and the transfer of weapons to Gaza.
Israel wants to retain the right to hunt down terrorists in the event of an attack or if information of an imminent terror attack is received, the report said.
A senior U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal a phased-in cease-fire in Israel's truce proposal would be supported by Qatar and Turkey.
There was no Israeli confirmation concerning terms laid out to reach a truce.
Sha'ath said Hamas had rejected an Israeli request to hand over all weapons but that it would agree to stop targeting Israeli civilians if a truce is secured, Ma'an reported.
Israel massed armor on the Gaza border and called up 40,000 reservists, in addition to its regular standing army of about 175,000. The military said it could add another 35,000.
U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated Washington's support for Israel's right to defend itself against Palestinian rocket fire.
"There's no country on Earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders," Obama said in Bangkok Sunday. "We are fully supportive of Israel's right to defend itself."
