CRI听力:Diplomatic Efforts Stepped up for Cease-Fire in Gaza

The Israeli military has confirmed one of its soldiers is missing in action in the Gaza Strip.

This comes after a previous claim by Hamas saying the group had captured an Israeli military hostage.

However the Israel Defense Force says it is still working on the identification of the soldier, who is presumed dead.

Meanwhile, a diplomatic push for a truce in the region has been intensified.

CRI's Cao Yuwei has more.

Reporter:
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has met with U.S Secretary of State John Kerry in Cairo to press for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

Ban says he wants both parties to immediately return to talks.

"I'm asking that Hamas should immediately stop firing rocket. While I understand all how, why Israelis has to respond militarily, but there is a proportionality. And most of the Palestinian people have been - most of the death toll are Palestinian people. Therefore at this time our first and foremost effort should be focused on ending violence."

Ban says he has already held talks with the leader from Qatar.
 
Kerry has announced that the US will provide 47 million US dollars in direct humanitarian assistance to Gaza to aid civilians affected by the fighting.

However, the US says that Israel has the right to defend itself against the rockets launched by Hamas, urging Hamas to accept an Egyptian proposal to end the fighting.

Chinese special envoy Wu Sike also met up with Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi in Cairo for talks on tensions in Gaza.

China has called for an immediate ceasefire and reiterated its support for the Egyptian brokered ceasefire deal.

Meanwhile, Wu Sike says to reach a long-term peace deal in the region, the two parties need to address the root causes of the conflict.

"Under the current circumstances, internal coordination within Palestine is crucial. The current conflict in Gaza is rooted in the unsettled status of Palestine. The fundamental solution is to build an independent Palestinian state. "

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas are now holding talks in the Qatari capital of Doha, pledging to work for a solution.

Earlier, Hamas handed Qatar a list of its demands to end the fighting.

Hamas has already rejected the Egyptian proposal, insisting on a lifting of Israel's siege of Gaza and the release of prisoners in order to agree to any truce accord.

The Egyptian plan asks both sides to cease fire without preconditions and to try to negotiate a new border deal easing the blockade of Gaza.

As the international community continues to push for a ceasefire, Israel bombed five mosques, a sports stadium and the home of the late Hamas military chief on Tuesday.

The shelling brought the death toll of Israel's two-week offensive on the Strip to over 580, including 154 children.

For CRI, I'm Cao Yuwei.