UN:Israel´s daily 3-hour truces in Gaza good first step, but not nearly enough

An Israeli soldier prays beside the tanks in the Gaza Strip  Jan. 6, 2009. The Israeli army has said that it would hold  fire in the Gaza Strip for three hours every day from Jan. 7  to allow local residents to prepare basic supplies.  (Xinhua/Tsafrir Abayov)

Ging said the three Israeli shells impacted right up against the boundary of the school and both he and Holmes said the conflicting reports underscored why an independent investigation of the incident was so necessary.

Holmes also cited "other dreadful incidents that are coming to our notice," such as a house in Zaitoun, south of the Gaza City, being stricken with some 30 people feared dead -- many still buried under the rubble.

"The apparent level of civilian casualties continued to rise and to be particularly distressing," he said, also stressing the need for more fuel, food and medical supplies to be allowed in.

Israel has opened the border crossings to scores of supply lorries a day but much more is needed, he added. Meanwhile, there was an alarming build-up of a sewage lake due to the lack of power, with the danger of a potentially health-threatening flood.

On the political front, Serry said it seemed that the outline of a way out of the crisis was rapidly emerging "but more work needs to be done quickly to flesh out a package and secure the buy-in of crucial players."

The UN secretary-general will be traveling to the Middle East next week, looking to lock in the elements of an international consensus.

"A return to the status quo ante, the previous situation, cannot be an option," Serry said, enumerating the essential elements to a settlement: an immediate and permanent ceasefire, immediate relief for the civilian population of Gaza including open crossings, and a viable system to ensure that borders are properly functioning and that the issue of smuggling is addressed.