http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/israel-hamas-defy-truce/1257952.html?cid=TWTCNA&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
The world implored Israel and Hamas to end hostilities on Saturday, but the violence escalated with the toll in Israeli strikes rising to 157 and Gaza militants firing more rocket salvos.
It was the bloodiest day since the conflict erupted on Tuesday, with 46 Palestinians killed.
The latest conflict unfolded after last month's kidnap and murder of three young Israelis in the occupied West Bank and the brutal revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager by Jewish extremists.
Both sides have dismissed calls for a truce, and Israel continued to build up troops along the Gaza border ahead of a possible ground invasion, warning Palestinians in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes.
With the Palestinian death toll at 157, and with no Israelis killed, the UN Security Council unanimously urged Israel and Hamas to respect "international humanitarian laws" and stop the loss of life.
The 15-member council urged a return to "calm, and restitution of the November 2012 ceasefire", referring to Gaza's last deadly full-scale conflict.
Israel's aerial campaign -- the largest and deadliest since 2012 -- saw strikes start early on Saturday, including one that hit a centre for the handicapped, and another that killed two nephews of Gaza's former Hamas premier, Ismail Haniya.
Rockets fired from Gaza targeted Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, with several intercepted over Israel's commercial capital and Jerusalem-bound projectiles hitting two southern West Bank cities.
Washington has said it is willing to "leverage" its relationships in the region to bring about a ceasefire.
The chief diplomats of Britain, France, Germany and the United States are due to discuss how to achieve a truce when they meet in Vienna on Sunday.
Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini plans to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories from July 14-17 and Egypt on July 18, her ministry said.
However, there has been little sign that either side is interested in an immediate end to the hostilities, which appeared to be ramping up on Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Friday that "no international pressure will prevent us from striking, with all force, against the terrorist organisation which calls for our destruction."
Hamas's Haniya sounded a similar tone, saying: "(Israel) is the one that started this aggression and it must stop, because we are (simply) defending ourselves."
Israel says preparations are under way for a possible ground incursion, with tanks and artillery massed along the border and some 33,000 reservists mobilised out of 40,000 approved by the cabinet.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said he expected a political decision on a possible ground operation to be taken by Sunday.
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