STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: 664 Palestinians reported killed; it's unclear how many were civilians
- NEW: Israel's death toll is 35, comprising 32 soldiers and three civilians, one a foreign worker
- Israeli officials reject U.N. claim of possible war crimes
Gaza City (CNN) -- Washington's top diplomat landed
in Israel on Wednesday on an urgent mission from his boss: to push for
an "immediate cessation of hostilities."
Secretary of State John Kerry's arrival came as the United Nations accused both Israel and Hamas of possible war crimes and as the death toll continued to mount.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 664 Palestinians have been killed. Though it's unclear how many were civilians, the United Nations estimates that more than 70% were. The Israeli military said 230 militants have been killed.
Three more Israeli soldiers were killed Wednesday, bringing the total to 32 plus three civilians. Among the soldiers, three died from friendly fire.
A Hamas mortar shell killed a foreign worker in Ashkelon on Wednesday, marking the third civilian death on the Israeli side.
Hamas has said it is holding an Israeli soldier it captured in an ambush on an armored personnel carrier Sunday. Six other IDF soldiers died in the ambush.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military released the soldier's name -- Sgt. Oren Shaul -- but said it was "working to identify his body."
Israeli media reported that Shaul was missing and presumed dead.
Israel: Hospital was cleared of staff, patients
Israeli and U.S. officials have repeatedly blamed Hamas for civilian deaths, saying militants purposely use homes, mosques, schools and hospitals for terror operations and encourage people to remain in them despite Israeli warnings.
The al-Wafa hospital, near hard-hit Shaja'ia, "is a Hamas military compound," the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday. At Israel's request, it was evacuated of patients and staff Tuesday, though Hamas gunmen remained, firing at Israeli forces, the IDF said. Israel confirmed the evacuation with a World Health Organization official, then struck the "terror targets" at the site, the IDF said.
But despite such statements, Palestinians have accused Israel of indiscriminate attacks and even purposely killing civilians. Official Palestinian media accuse Israel of carrying out a "massacre."
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said a child was killed in Gaza every hour on Monday and Tuesday.
U.N. slams possible 'war crimes'
"There seems to be a strong possibility that international humanitarian law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Wednesday.
"I unequivocally reiterate to all actors in this conflict that civilians must not be targeted. It is imperative that Israel, Hamas and all Palestinian armed groups strictly abide by applicable norms of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. This entails applying the principles of distinction between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives; proportionality; and precautions in attack. Respect for the right to life of civilians, including children, should be a foremost consideration. Not abiding by these principles may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity."
Some Israeli officials rejected Pillay's statements about Israel. "She would be better advised to seek credible first-hand information rather than making intolerably biased statements based on newspaper clippings," Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said, according to The Jerusalem Post. He added that Pillay's "embarrassingly shallow and populist affirmations ... do a huge disservice to actual human rights."
Tunnels found, ambulances hit
The Israeli military, meanwhile, said it hit more than 187 targets overnight, and most of them were in Shaja'ia. The Israel Defense Forces has warned residents of the neighborhood to flee multiple times and has accused Hamas of telling people to remain in their homes.
An IDF force found another "terror access shaft" in Gaza on Wednesday, Israel said. Inside it were weapons, maps and IDF uniforms, "all intended for the execution of terror attacks against Israel."
The IDF also "attacked several militants emerging from a tunnel opening" in southern Gaza, Israel said. "Since the beginning of the ground operation, more than 60 access shafts leading to some 28 tunnels were uncovered."
Palestinian ambulances have been shelled, Gazan medics have complained. On Wednesday, the IDF said militants used one to escape the Israeli military.
The International Committee of the Red Cross prepared to go into Shaja'ia early Wednesday. The neighborhood is "partially demolished," the ICRC said.
Cease-fire possible?
Kerry burned the candle at both ends to try to stop the violence. He shuttled between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.
Abbas' Fatah party has long controlled the Palestinian government in the West Bank, while Hamas has controlled Gaza. The two groups, which have engaged in violent battles in the past, recently announced another effort at a joint government.
Earlier Wednesday, Kerry met with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who was already on the ground calling for an end to the bloodshed in Gaza.
Israel has publicly accepted Egypt's call for a cease-fire and condemned Hamas for not doing so. Hamas political leadership lives in Qatar, another country involved in efforts to achieve a cease-fire. Turkey and Kuwait are involved as well, a Hamas official told CNN.
Ian Lee reported from Gaza City. Ben Brumfield and Josh Levs reported from Atlanta. CNN's Tal Heinrich, Ali Younes, Kareem Khadder and Tim Lister contributed to this report.
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