The United States today urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties in air strikes on Gaza but did not call for an end to the attacks in pursuit of Hamas targets that killed at least 155 people.
The White House said for the violence to end, Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist organisation, must stop rocket attacks into Israel.
"Hamas' continued rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in Texas where President George Bush is on vacation at his ranch.
"Hamas must end its terrorist activities if it wishes to play a role in the future of the Palestinian people," Johndroe said. "The United States urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties as it targets Hamas in Gaza."
The Bush administration has typically taken the position that Israel has the right to defend itself.
The United States regards Hamas as a terrorist organization and has worked to isolate the Islamist group since it won a Palestinian parliamentary election in January 2006.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas condemned as "criminal" the Israeli air campaign and called for the international community to intervene.
The European Union has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
"We are very concerned at the events in Gaza. We call for an immediate ceasefire and urge everybody to exert maximum restraint," a spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said.
"Everything must be done to renew the truce."
The EU's executive body, the European Commission, also called for "utmost restraint".
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement both sides must stop the escalation of violence which endangers the civilian population and called for an immediate return to the ceasefire.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate halt to the violence in southern Israel and in Gaza.
"The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by today's heavy violence and bloodshed in Gaza, and the continuation of violence in southern Israel," the United Nations said in a statement posted on its website.
Egypt summoned the Israeli ambassador to protest against Israeli raids and said Cairo would keep trying to restore a truce.
An official at the Egyptian foreign ministry told the ambassador that Egypt condemned the Israeli attacks. The ambassador blamed the Islamist movement Hamas and said Israel had not sought escalation, Egyptian state news agency MENA said.
A statement from the Egyptian presidency also condemned the Israeli attacks and said Cairo would work to restore a truce between Israel and Gaza. Egypt holds Israel responsible for the casualties in Gaza, it added.
"Egypt will continue its contacts to prepare an atmosphere conducive to restoring the period of calm and achieving reconciliation between the Palestinian groups," it said.
It said Egypt had tried to warn Israel of the grave consequences of attacking Gaza and had called on Palestinian groups to extend a truce which expired just over a week ago.
Egypt called publicly for restraint by both sides on Thursday when Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni came to Cairo for talks with President Hosni Mubarak.
The presidency said Mr Mubarak had given orders that the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt open for Palestinian casualties and that Egyptian medical facilities be available to all victims of the Israeli raids.
Reuters