US pushes for truce as Gaza battles rage

Kerry ignores flight dangers, lands in Tel Aviv to press for a truce in conflict

Israeli troops battled Hamas militants on Wednesday near a southern Gaza town as US Secretary of State John Kerry flew into Israel to press for a truce in the conflict that has so far killed at least 657 Palestinians and 31 Israelis.

Trapped by the fighting in Khan Younis, on the southern fringe of Gaza, dozens of Palestinian families scrambled to flee.

Kerry braved danger to land in Tel Aviv despite a Federal Aviation Administration ban that followed a strike by a Hamas rocket near the airport the day before. He was scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Jerusalem and Ramallah, in what appeared to be a crucial day in the wobbly talks. US officials have played down expectations for an immediate, lasting truce between Israel and the Hamas militant group that controls Gaza.

In Jerusalem, Kerry said negotiations toward a Gaza cease-fire agreement were making some progress after days of a deadly impasse. He was not specific in describing what he called steps forward in the negotiations as he met for a second time this week with Ban.

Meanwhile, a foreign worker in Israel was killed when a rocket fired from Gaza landed in southern Israel on Wednesday, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said. She did not know the worker's nationality.

Israel also reported that two more of its soldiers died in the conflict, bringing the military's toll to 29, but it did not elaborate on the circumstances of the latest casualties. Two Israeli civilians have also died in 15 days of fighting

A Palestinian health official said eight Hamas fighters died in a fierce battle near Khan Younis, where the Palestinian Red Crescent was trying to evacuate about 250. Khan Younis has been under Israeli tank shelling and drone strikes since early Wednesday.

Red Crescent said Hamas in the area was using rocket-propelled grenades and light weapons, including machine guns, against the Israelis.

Hundreds of residents of eastern Khan Younis were seen fleeing their homes as the battle unfolded, flooding into the streets with the few belongings they could carry, many with children in tow. They said they were seeking shelter in UN schools.

"The airplanes and airstrikes are all around us," said Aziza Msabah, a resident of Khan Younis. "They are hitting the houses, which are collapsing on us."

The Israeli military did not respond to inquiries about why such heavy fighting was concentrated on Khan Younis, saying only that it was conducting operations throughout Gaza.