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STORY: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held meetings on Wednesday to press for a ceasefire amid the deadliest violence in years between Israel and Gaza's Islamist Hamas.
On Wednesday, Israeli forces pounded Gaza, meeting stiff resistance from Hamas and sending thousands of residents fleeing, as Kerry said ceasefire talks had made some progress.
"We have certainly made some steps forward and there's still work to be done. But I'm very appreciative that the secretary-general is making great efforts," Kerry told reporters.
To date, some 645 Palestinians have died in the Gaza offensive. Some 29 Israeli soldiers have been killed so far in the conflagration, including a tank officer shot by a Palestinian sniper overnight. Three civilians have died in rocket attacks out of Gaza, including a foreign laborer hit on Wednesday.
