At least 380 Palestinians were killed and some 1,750 have been injured in the four-day offensive, which Israel launched on Saturday in what it called "an all-out war" against Hamas in response to militant rocket attacks on southern border towns from Gaza.

Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said that under the current circumstances the presiding EU state must be actively involved in all efforts to resolve the situation in the Middle East.

The Czech Republic takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union from France on January 1.

In response to Israeli airstrikes, Palestinian militants have launched over 80 rockets and mortar shells on southern Israel, killing four people and injuring more than 35 others, some of them seriously.