Tel Aviv - Israel plans to establish a "humanitarian corridor" to get needed supplies to Palestinian civilians in the embattled Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced overnight Tuesday.

The plan would allow limited time windows to get humanitarian supplies into parts of the Palestinian territory, Ynetnews reported online, citing the prime minister's office.

Prague - The European Union sees a ceasefire in the Middle East on the horizon, an EU official said after the bloc's unsuccessful mission returned late Tuesday to Prague.

"We are suspecting a dawn, but it is not here yet," said Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose country chairs the EU until June 30.

The EU mission achieved little. Israel rejected the EU's call for an immediate ceasefire or at least a lull in fighting that would ease distribution of humanitarian aid in the embattled Gaza Strip.

New York  - The United States pitched a plan on Tuesday for a comprehensive solution to end the Israel-Hamas conflict by engaging the warring parties to abide by a durable and sustainable ceasefire.

The plan would reopen crossings into the Gaza Strip and end all weapons smuggling by Hamas.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the UN Security Council in New York that a durable ceasefire would return "true calm" between the two sides and end Hamas' firing of missiles into Israel.

New York  - The UN Security Council late Tuesday held an emergency session with envoys from 25 countries including 14 foreign ministers, to hear demands for an end of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.

The conflict since last month in the Gaza Strip has left hundreds dead and more than 2,000 people wounded.

Washington - US president-elect Barack Obama said Tuesday that he is "deeply concerned" about the fighting in the Gaza Strip and pledged to work effectively to resolve the Middle East conflict when he takes office later this month.

"Starting at the beginning of our administration, we are going to engage effectively and consistently in trying to resolve the conflicts that exist in the Middle East," Obama said.

New York  - Israeli attacks on three schools run by the United Nations in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, including one that killed more than 46 civilians on Tuesday, were "totally unacceptable and must not be repeated," UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon said.