Israeli aircraft hit more than 70 targets in Gaza

“We need Gaza people to have a (normal) life, as all the people in the world,” Batch said.

Among the facilities hit overnight were three homes, including one where three women from the same family perished, according to Gaza health official Ashraf al Kidra.

But prospects for a truce remained elusive.

Egypt, Israel and the U.S. back an unconditional cease—fire, to be followed by talks on a possible new border arrangement for Gaza. Israel and Egypt have severely restricted movement in and out of Gaza since Hamas seized the territory in 2007.

The top Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, said Monday that Gaza's 1.7 million people share Hamas' goal of forcing Israel and Egypt to lift the blockade.

“We cannot go back, we cannot go back to the silent death” of the blockade, he said. “Gaza has decided to end the blockade by its blood and by its courage.”

After a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri, Ban said that “violence must stop by all sides,” and that they must enter negotiations, apparently siding with Cairo's approach.

“We can't claim victory simply by returning matters to where they stood before they led to terrible bloodshed,” Ban said.

The border blockade has set Gaza back years, wiping out tens of thousands of jobs through bans on most exports and on imports of vital construction materials Israel says could be diverted by Hamas for military use. Israel allows many consumer goods into Gaza, but experts say Gaza's economy cannot recover without a resumption of exports.

The Rafah passenger crossing with Egypt is Gaza's only gate to the world, but Egypt has tightened restrictions over the past year, allowing only medical patients, Muslim pilgrims and Gazans with foreign passports to travel.

On Monday, President Barack Obama reaffirmed his belief that Israel has the right to defend itself against rockets being launched by Hamas into Israel. Yet, he contended that Israel's military action in Gaza had already done “significant damage” to the Hamas terrorist infrastructure and said he doesn't want to see more civilians getting killed.