Egypt proposed a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and its Islamist foe Hamas to start at 0600 GMT Tuesday and be followed by talks on easing the flow of goods into Gaza.

The proposal late on Monday came on the eve of a scheduled visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to Egypt, a traditional broker in Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, to push for a halt to seven days of exchanges that have left 184 Gazans dead.

The United States on Monday warned against any Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, saying it would put even more civilians at risk than are currently in the crossfire of attacks on Hamas.

But the White House stopped short of criticizing Israel over the civilian toll so far in Gaza of the offensive, saying the government had a "right" and "responsibility" to defend their citizens against rocket attacks.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on Monday for Hamas to "immediately" stop rocket fire on Israel, as diplomatic efforts to halt a flare-up of violence around Gaza intensified.

"Firing rockets on Israel by Hamas should stop immediately," Steinmeier told a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in Amman.

Washington's top diplomat is to head to the Middle East on Tuesday to throw his weight behind diplomatic efforts to end a devastating week-long conflict between ally Israel and its Islamist foe Hamas.

With Israel's punishing air campaign in its seventh day, the death toll in Gaza hit 177, prompting growing calls for a ceasefire which have so far showed little sign of progress.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat condemned on Monday the Israeli assault against the Palestinian Gaza Strip, demanding that efforts be exerted to reach a ceasefire.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website: “Now is not the time to settle scores with Hamas and other Palestinian factions, but we should unite behind the Palestinian sacrifices.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to ask the United Nations to put the state of Palestine under "international protection" due to the worsening violence in Gaza, the PLO said Sunday.

Abbas would present a letter to this effect to the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, addressed to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, it said in a statement.

The world implored Israel and Hamas Saturday to end hostilities as warplanes pounded Gaza for a fifth straight day, killing at least 45 Palestinians, and militants replied with rockets.

Both sides have brushed off calls for a truce, and Israel is building up troops and armor on the Gaza border for a possible ground invasion.

The U.N. Security Council urged Israel and Hamas Saturday to end their hostilities in Gaza, calling on both sides to respect "international humanitarian laws" and stop the loss of life.

In a unanimous declaration, the 15-member council called for a deescalation of the crisis that has claimed well over a hundred lives, and urged a return to the "calm and restitution of the November 2012 ceasefire."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he will discuss an international push for a ceasefire in Gaza with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his German and French counterparts during talks in Vienna on Sunday.

Hague said in a statement on Saturday that the discussions on ending the hostilities between Israel and Gaza would take place on the sidelines of talks on Iran's nuclear program in the Austrian capital.

Speaker Nabih Berri stated on Saturday that the resistance is the only response to Israeli atrocities, noting that the “national Palestinian unity will remain the strongest and the lasting weapon” in the face of violence.

"The only response to the massacre and to the violence is the resistance which is the people's sole weapon to deter atrocities,” Berri said on the eve of the July 2006 war with Israel.