(VOVworld) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was in Tel Aviv on Tuesday in a bid to urge Israel and Palestine to end bloody clashes in the Gaza strip.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a press conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. (Photo: AP)

In a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ban said that his message to the Israelis and the Palestinians is the same that is to stop fighting, start talking, and take on the root causes of the conflict. He insisted that the UN strongly condemned all rocket attacks from the Hamas Islamic movement in Israel’s territory and these must be stopped immediately. Ban called on Israel to practice restraint because the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 600 many of them were women and children. He also urged Israel to look into the causes of the conflict and resolve remaining issues relating to mutual recognition and territorial occupation.