The non-binding statement by the 15-member body "called for an immediate halt to all violence" and urged the parties "to stop immediately all military activities."

In a rare example of council unity over the divisive issue of Gaza, the text was approved after five hours of closed-door consultations called by Libya, the lone Arab member of the council, in response to the Israeli air raids.

Meanwhile Israeli warplanes hammered targets of the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza in retaliation for rocket fire, killing more than 290 people in one of the bloodiest days of the decades-long Middle East conflict.

Diplomats said a compromise statement initially put forward by Russia was watered down at the urging of the United States. The final text approved by consensus mentions neither Israel nor the Islamist movement Hamas by name.

It called "for all parties to address the serious humanitarian and economic needs in Gaza and to take necessary measures, including opening of border crossings, to ensure the continuous provision of humanitarian supplies, including supplies of food, fuel, and provision of medical treatment."

The council also stressed the need for "the restoration of calm in full which will open the way for finding a political solution to the problems existing in the context of the Palestinian-Israeli settlement."

Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who played a key role in securing consensus on the text, said the council sought to deliver a message that "will hopefully stop the vicious cycle of violence."

His US counterpart, Zalmay Khalilzad, sprang to Israel's defense, saying its air attacks were ordered in self-defense after rocket firing into the Jewish state from Gaza.

"Israel has the right of self-defense. Nothing in this press statement should be read as anything but that," he noted.

"Yes we want the violence to end. Yes we want the humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza to be addressed but we have to be clear that the long-term answer to the problem is a two-state solution," he added, referring to the creation of an independent Palestinian state living side by side with a secure Israel.

Ryad Mansour, the Palestinian observer to the United Nations, said the council issued a clear statement demanding a ceasefire and that the border crossings from Israel into Gaza be opened.

Israel imposed a blockade after Hamas seized power in Gaza last year, but let in dozens of truckloads of humanitarian aid on Friday.

Mansour warned that if Israel did not comply with the council's ceasefire call, Arab nations and their supporters "will come back before the council in order to bring Israel into compliance."

But Israeli Ambassador Gabriela Shalev told reporters that her country acted in self-defense.

"We are going to protect our citizens," she said. "The only party to blame is Hamas."

She evaded a question as to whether Israel would comply with the council's call, saying: "We will wait and see whether Hamas is going to abide."

Speaking on US television, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni urged the international community to cast blame on Hamas as world opinion split and tensions soared.

"I expect the international community, including the entire Arab world, to send a clear message to Hamas: 'It is your fault. It's your responsibility. You're the one who's being condemned,'" she told NBC's Meet the Press.

"'You are not going to get legitimacy from the international community this way," she continued. "The responsibility for the lives of civilians in the Gaza Strip is in your hands."

Earlier White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters that "If Hamas stops firing rockets into Israel, then Israel would not have a need for strikes in Gaza."

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed deep concern about the escalating violence in Gaza and urged that the ceasefire "be restored immediately and fully respected."

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply alarmed" by the bloodshed in Gaza and appealed for "an immediate halt to all violence."

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak however warned that "Operation Cast Lead" against Hamas, which has also left some 700 wounded, would continue "as long as necessary."

And in Damascus, exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called for a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel and promised new suicide attacks.

Hamas has not carried out a suicide attack in Israel since January 2005.

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