Palestinian President Abbas wants UN to act on Israel's Gaza violence

The Palestinian presidency asked its representative United Nations to consider calling for a meeting after scores of Palestinians, including a baby, were killed on Israel's assault on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose presidency expired in 2009, asked permanent representative to the UN Riyad Mansour, to consider calling for a meeting of the Security Council to bring a halt to the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian civilians in the besieged enclave.

"The horrific silence of the international community is what encourages Israel to continue with its crimes against our people," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for President Abbas on Sunday.

The remarks were made hours before an unofficial ceasefire took place.

The escalation between Israel and Gaza began on Friday after four Palestinians were killed and two Israeli soldiers were wounded during a weekly demonstration at the Gaza-Israel border on Friday.

Palestinian militant factions responded on Saturday with rocket fire from Gaza, drawing waves of Israeli retaliatory strikes which continued throughout Sunday.

At least 23 Palestinians, including at least nine militants, were killed in the flare up of violence, while four Israelis civilians were also killed.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008 and the escalation brought them to the brink of another.

Gaza's health ministry said the dead from the Israeli strikes included a 14-month-old baby and a pregnant woman, aged 37. It first identified the woman as the baby's mother, but the family later clarified she was the aunt.

Another four-month-old baby was among those killed in Israeli strikes in the northern Gaza Strip.