Wellington  - About 500 protestors burned an Israel flag and threw shoes at the United States consulate in Auckland Saturday in what the organizer claimed was New Zealand's largest pro-Palestinian demonstration.

Some wore Palestinian flags and held placards of dead and mutilated children as they marched through the city centre chanting, "How many kids have you killed today, Israel, USA?" Radio New Zealand reported.

Gaza City/Tel Aviv  - Israel's ministerial committee for national security decided Friday to continue its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, the prime minister's office said, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

"Israel has a right to protect its citizens," the afternoon statement said, noting that the military would "continue to change the security situation in the south," parlance for attacking militant targets and sources of rocket fire and conducting activities to curtail arms smuggling.

Amman  - Jordanian Prime Minister Nader Dahabi apologized Friday for the beating by police of four al-Jazeera cameramen and the news network's Amman bureau chief during a demonstration outside the Israeli embassy in Jordan's capital.

Dahabi made a personal visit to extend his apology to Yasser Abu Helalah, director of the Arabic television channel's Amman office, who was being treated in hospital for injuries suffered in the melee.

New York  - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Friday that he was disappointed the fighting in the Gaza Strip continued despite the ceasefire demanded by the UN Security Council.

"The secretary general expressed his disappointment that the violence has continued on the ground in disregard of the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council," said UN spokeswoman Michelle Montas.

New York  - Human rights group Amnesty International Friday called on the United Nations Security Council to deploy human rights investigators in Israel and the Gaza Strip and to hold the warring parties accountable for war crimes.

The London-based group said in a letter to the 15-nation council that it should take "firm action to ensure full accountability for war crimes and other serious abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law" in Gaza.

It asked that investigators be sent to Gaza and southern Israel to report on abuses by all parties in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Berlin  - Germany said Friday it will help mediate in the Gaza conflict, with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier set to visit with Israeli and Egyptian officials this weekend.

The move adds yet another player to European Union mediation efforts. A Berlin spokesman said Berlin had been in touch with the Czech Republic, the current EU president, before announcing the move.

Steinmeier was set to meet on Saturday in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak. The venue had earlier been announced as Sharm al-Sheikh but this was changed.