Cairo - Arab foreign ministers, at an emergency meeting in Cairo on Wednesday, appealed to the UN Security Council to halt Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The meeting of the foreign ministers of the 22-nation Arab League took place as Israeli airstrikes continued for the fifth day against the Islamist Hamas movement, which governs the Gaza Strip. The casualty toll in the densely populated salient has reached almost 390 dead, most of them militants, and 1,800 injured.

"We urge the Security Council not to fall under any pressure and take an immediate decision to stop the Israeli attacks on Gaza, " said Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa at the opening of the meeting.

According to diplomatic sources the league will formally call on the UN Security Council to impose a ceasefire in a statement after its meeting.

The league will also demand an international guarantee for the ceasefire and the formation of an international to protect Palestinians in the Gaza strip.

Diplomatic sources said the Arab League would call for an Arab League summit if the Security Council did not follow its recommendations.

The meeting was largely calm, the sources said, despite the charged atmosphere since the Israeli raids began. Some in the Arab world have accused Egypt, one of two Arab countries which have signed a peace deal with Israel, of colluding in the raids by keeping its border with Gaza shut.

The sources said Syria's delegation criticized Egypt during meeting for not giving support to Hamas.

Syria hosts Hamas political bureau in Damascus with all the organization's masterminds. Syria had been isolated by the United States for its political ties with Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran.

Egypt is wary of Hamas, which has links with Egypt's main opposition group, the Muslim brotherhood. Egypt also blames Hamas for the failure of Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation talks between Palestinian factions.

During his opening speech Mussa decried the rising number of Palestinian casualties, asking: "Which 'magic number' is the security council waiting for before it will act to put an end to these attacks?"

Mussa also called upon Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to appeal to the Security Council, which he charged with not doing enough to stop the raids.

The Arab League leader also called on the Palestinian factions - largely divided between Gaza and the West Bank - to put their disputes aside and unite.

"Israel's air raids are destroying Gaza, and Israel's settlements are taking over the West Bank," Mussa said.

Mussa further criticized both sides of the conflict, accusing the Israeli government of political motivess for the raids ahead of its elections, and indirectly criticizing Hamas, saying that there had to be "responsible" resistance. (dpa)