Israeli police officers stand guard during a protest by Israeli Arabs in the northern city of Nazareth, against Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip
Israeli police officers stand guard during a protest by Israeli Arabs in the northern city of Nazareth, against Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip July 21, 2014. Reuters

At least 565 Palestinians died so far, and U.S. finally asks for ceasefire.

The number of deaths went up on Monday, July 21, as people died from both sides of the border. Israel reported the death of its seven soldiers, while Palestine confirmed that there were several deaths reported in Gaza. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, it was yet to be confirmed how many out of around 600 casualties were terrorists. The United Nations, on the other hand, estimated that around 70 per cent of the casualties were civilians. Israel said that it had managed to eliminate dozens of Hamas members.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, there have been 25 soldiers killed in the battle. Four among them were killed after the Israeli soil was infiltrated by Hamas. A couple of deceased soldiers were Israeli-Americans. The U.S. State Department apparently pushed for ceasefire after Sean Carmeli from Texas and Max Steinberg from California had been killed. In the meantime, Israeli reportedly shelled a hospital situated in central Gaza. Five people were killed after The Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital had been attacked.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry went to Cairo to initiate a ceasefire process. Kerry was earlier caught being sarcastic about the Israeli attack on Gaza. He said that it was "a hell of a pinpoint operation" by the Jewish nation. Meanwhile, there is no apparent indication from either of the battling sides that there would be an immediate ceasefire. The atrocities, however, have been the worst of its kind in the last five years of conflict. Israeli jets earlier killed 28 members of one family when the thickly populated coastal strip was attacked.

The UN Security Council appealed for a ceasefire with immediate effect on Sunday, but the call was ignored by both Israel and Hamas, which created an organisational record as it killed 13 soldiers from Israeli, the biggest "one-day" number in the last eight years.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au