Kerry sees 'some steps forward' towards Gaza ceasefire

US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that diplomacy to end the Gaza bloodshed has made progress, but warned more time was needed.

"We have certainly made some steps forward, but there is still work to be done," Kerry said in Jerusalem as he met UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Washington's top diplomat flew into Tel Aviv Wednesday, defying a US flight ban, to try to broker an end to violence in Gaza, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians and hobbled Israel's main airport.

He jetted in from Cairo to Ben Gurion airport, with reporters banned from reporting the trip until his custom Boeing 757 touched down.

He immediately set off for Jerusalem where he was to meet visiting UN chief Ban Ki-moon, after which he was to travel to the West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, a State Department official said.

He was later to return to Tel Aviv for talks at the defence ministry with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the official said, adding that Kerry had been engaged in phonecalls with regional foreign ministers until the early hours of Wednesday.

Washington's top diplomat has urged all sides to embrace an Egyptian ceasefire initiative that would first halt the fighting before negotiations.

Hamas called for amending the truce proposal to the removal of Israel's eight-year blockade on the enclave.

Growing concerns

The United States has repeatedly supported Israel's Operation Protective Edge as self-defence.

But President Barack Obama and Kerry have also voiced growing concerns about the costs to civilians, including the deaths of numerous Palestinian children.

"While we still have work to do, it is clear to each party I met that there is a framework available to end the violence, and that framework was the Egyptian initiative," Kerry said Tuesday in Cairo after meeting Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a former army chief who has a frosty relationship with Hamas.

Kerry has walked a delicate line, with a US official saying that the Egyptian plan offered "the frame and forum for discussions" but that "there are a range of options under consideration for a ceasefire."

Kerry, in an unguarded moment caught Sunday between televised interviews, appeared to voice concern that Israel would escalate its campaign after soldiers' deaths, saying, "I hope they don't think that's an invitation to go do more."

Meanwhile, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday that Israel is committing "a crime against humanity" during its offensive in the Gaza Strip.

"Israel is in the process of committing hideous crimes. Israel is destroying residential areas completely. Israel is targeting journalists. Israel has destroyed 2,500 houses. Infrastructure has been destroyed. Israeli forces are targeting Gaza's medical centres. What Israel is doing is a crime against humanity," he said.

Flight ban

Kerry's arrival in Israel came a day after the US Federal Aviation Administration banned US carriers from flying into Tel Aviv for 24 hours following a Hamas rocket that landed close to Ben Gurion airport.

Netanyahu appealed to Kerry by telephone late Tuesday to lift the ban, which is the first since the 1990-1991 Iraq war when Saddam Hussein's regime lobbed missiles at Israel.

Kerry insisted it was imposed solely in the interest of protecting US carriers and travellers, not as a negotiating tactic.

"The only consideration in issuing the notice was the safety and security of our citizens," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Major US and European carriers suspended their services after the rocket struck.

The European Aviation Safety Agency advised all carriers to avoid Tel Aviv "until further notice."

National carrier Royal Jordanian said on Wednesday it has suspended flights to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport after a Gaza rocket struck near runways.

And Turkey's national carrier has decided to temporarily halt its direct flights to Tel Aviv for security reasons, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

A prolonged airport closure would likely pose risks to Israel's economy, which has largely been spared the impact of frequent conflict in the region.