Turkey Urges Israel to Halt Gaza Assault, U.S. and U.N. Slam Rocket Fire

Turkey called on Israel on Tuesday to "immediately" halt its assault against the Gaza Strip, following the deadly air campaign against the Palestinian enclave.

"We are calling on Israel to immediately halt its attacks on Gaza," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

It urged the international community, especially the United Nations, to step in and warn the Jewish state to abandon its policy of "collective punishment".

At least 15 people were killed Tuesday and dozens wounded in strikes on Gaza in the most serious flare-up in and around the Palestinian territory since November 2012.

Israel said it is weighing all options in a bid to stamp out rocket fire from Gaza on southern Israel and destroy the militant group Hamas's military infrastructure.

The Turkish foreign ministry called on all parties concerned to take lessons from the past and act with "restraint and common sense" to prevent an escalation of violence.

Later on Tuesday, the United States condemned rocket fire by Hamas militants into Israel, and said it was concerned for civilians on both sides.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest also urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep a diplomatic channel open with Palestinians to resolve the crisis sparked by the murders of three Israeli teenagers and a Palestinian youth.

"We strongly condemn the continuing rocket fire into Israel and the deliberate targeting of civilians by terrorist organizations in Gaza," Earnest said.

The spokesman also backed what he called Israel's right to respond to the attacks.

"No country can accept rocket fire aimed at civilians, and we support Israel's right to defend itself against these vicious attacks," he said.

At the same time, Earnest said Washington was mindful of the plight of civilians caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hamas.

"This means both the residents of southern Israel who are forced to live under rocket fire in their homes and the civilians in Gaza who are subjected to the conflict because of Hamas' violence," he said.

Meanwhile, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon condemned Gaza rocket attacks on Israel and called on both sides of the conflict to halt their aggressions.

Ban "reiterates his call on all actors to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further civilian casualties and overall destabilization," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

He added that Ban "condemns the recent multiple rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza" and that "these indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas must stop."