German FM Urges Halt to Hamas Rocket Fire

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on Monday for Hamas to "immediately" stop rocket fire on Israel, as diplomatic efforts to halt a flare-up of violence around Gaza intensified.

"Firing rockets on Israel by Hamas should stop immediately," Steinmeier told a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in Amman.

"If we want to see an end to this violence, these attacks should stop," he said through an interpreter.

"The Israelis and the Palestinians have no substitute for peace negotiations, even if this now is elusive. A two-state solution and an end to violence are needed."

Steinmeier, who is due to travel on to the occupied West Bank and Israel this week, said his mission to the Middle East "seeks to find fundamental solutions to end the escalation."

It comes as Israel pressed its campaign of punishing retaliatory raids on Gaza into a seventh day on Monday, and the Palestinian death toll rose to 176, with more than 1,280 wounded.

"Many innocent people have died in the escalation... We have seen terrifying images of dead and wounded civilians that cannot be tolerate," Steinmeier said.

His Jordanian counterpart condemned the mounting death toll among non-combatants, who have made up more than three-quarters of the dead in Gaza, human rights groups say.

"We discussed today developments in Gaza and Israel's aggression on the Strip and on civilians, which are very dangerous," Judeh said.

"Violence should end and targeting civilians should stop."

Jordan is the only Arab country apart from Egypt to have signed a peace treaty with the Jewish state.