New York  - More than 300 children have been killed and 1,500 others injured by the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza Strip, the UN Children's Fund said Wednesday.

"Each day more children are being hurt, their small bodies wounded and their young lives shattered," UNICEF director Ann Veneman said.

UNICEF said children, who constitute a majority of the 1.5 million-population in Gaza, and their families are trapped by the fighting. Israel and Hamas are now engaged in battle close to centers of residential areas, posing more threats to Palestinian civilians.

Tel Aviv - Israel appeared Wednesday to be increasing its pressure on Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip, as its the air force attacked 60 targets in the salient overnight, bringing to 160 the number of airstrikes carried out in the past 24 hours.

A military spokesman said early Wednesday morning that the latest targets attacked included police headquarters in Gaza City, rocket launching sites, nine arms depots and 35 smuggling tunnels running under the Gaza-Egyptian border, which Israel believes are used to bring weapons into the salient.

Aircraft also gave air support to troops on the ground, the spokesman said.

Washington  - Former British prime minister Tony Blair, the top Mideast envoy for a consortium of world powers, expressed full support Tuesday for Egypt's role in mediating the Gaza conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant movement Hamas.

In an interview with broadcaster CNN, Blair said that the most important goal was to come up with "a credible plan to stop the smuggling" of weapons from Egypt into Gaza to Hamas militants.

Copenhagen  - Thousands of people gathered Tuesday in downtown Copenhagen to protest the ongoing violence in Gaza.

The protest at the main city hall square was organized by among others opposition parties and trade unions. Organizers estimated 5,000 people attended.

Earlier Tuesday, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Israel and Hamas to cease the violence.

Rasmussen said Copenhagen had no plans to seek compensation from Israel for damages to Danish-funded aid projects damaged or destroyed in the ongoing offensive in Gaza.

Beirut  - Lebanese Defence Minister Elias Murr said Tuesday Lebanon will not give Israel an excuse to launch an aggression against the country.

"The army, the resistance, and the people are determined not to give Israel any excuse to launch aggression against Lebanon," Murr told reporters.

Beirut - UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon plans to visit Lebanon on Friday to discuss the current situation in Gaza and the Middle East region, Lebanese government sources said.