Special report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts     

    UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations does have contacts with Hamas and has warned the Hamas militants against firing rockets into southern Israel, a senior UN official said on Friday.

    Robert Serry, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, made the statement while briefing reporters here on the situation in Gaza at a press conference via video link from Jerusalem.

    "We do have contacts with Hamas," he said, adding that "we have been warning them what will be coming" if they keep firing rockets into Israel.

    "UN is the only major international player left in Gaza" since Israel launched massive airs trikes last Saturday on the Gaza Strip to retaliate for the firing of rockets into its southern territory by Hamas militants, he noted.

    UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council have repeatedly called upon both Israel and Hamas to immediately end violence and bloodshed in Gaza and southern Israel.

    Israel on Thursday broadened the scope of its bombardment in Gaza, and Gaza officials put the casualty toll at more than 390 dead and 1,600 wounded since Saturday, reports said.

    Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, speaking from Paris where the visiting minister met with French leaders, again rejected the idea of a 48-hour lull in the fighting for humanitarian purposes, the reports said.

    Arab ministers will gather in New York next week and the UN secretary-general is looking forward to discussing with them the current situation in Gaza, Serry said.

    "I will be joining with SG (the UN secretary-general) in New York next week," he added.

    Arab countries have been pressing the UN Security Council for adopting a binding resolution to condemn the Israeli aggression and call for an immediate ceasefire to be fully honored by both Israel and Hamas.

    The proposed resolution, drafted by Libya, "strongly condemns all military attacks and the excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force by Israel, the occupying power, which have led to the death and injury of scores of innocent Palestinian civilians, including women and children."

    It calls for "an immediate ceasefire and for its full respect by both sides."

    The Security Council on Wednesday convened an emergency meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but did not vote on the draft resolution.