Gaza: Six Men Executed 'As Israeli Spies'

Six Palestinian men accused of being spies for Israel have been executed at an intersection in Gaza, just hours after the UN boss called for a halt to the conflict.

Witnesses said the six men were dragged out of a van and forced to lie down in the street before they were shot by masked gunmen.

Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay, reporting from Gaza, said: "We understand six men were taken into a square ... and were executed in front of crowds."

Israeli homeowners inspect damage after a rocket attack in Beersheba

It has been reported that five of the bodies lay in a pile as a mob stomped and spit on them. A sixth body was tied to a motorcycle and dragged through the streets as people screamed, "Spy! Spy!"

The Hamas military wing has claimed responsibility for the executions.

The deaths follow UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon's call for an immediate ceasefire to end the Gaza-Israel conflict.

Gaza residents flee their homes on November 20

Speaking in Cairo after talks with Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby, he said a ground invasion of Gaza would be a "dangerous escalation" that must be avoided.

"Immediate steps are needed by all to avoid a further escalation, including a ground operation which will only result in further tragedy," Mr Ban said.

"My message is clear - all sides must halt fire immediately - further escalating the situation will put the entire region at risk."

A bus in southern Israel damaged by a rocket attack from Gaza

Mr Ban, who later arrived in Israel, added: "We all must recognise that Israel has legitimate security concerns that must be respected in accordance with international law, but a ground operation would be a dangerous escalation."

Earlier Israel's air force dropped leaflets across areas of Gaza City urging people to evacuate their homes "immediately".

"For your own safety, you are required to immediately evacuate your homes and move toward Gaza City centre," the one-page Arabic-language leaflet said.

Sky's Sam Kiley said the leaflet drop could be part of a propaganda exercise to show Hamas that Israel is seriously considering an imminent ground invasion.

Elsewhere Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi has said that talks with both sides of the conflict will have "positive results" in the coming hours.

Israeli troops near the Gaza border prepare weapons ahead of any invasion

Meanwhile a man identified as the most elusive top Hamas commander. and a founder of its military wing, has urged the group's fighters to keep up attacks on Israel.

Mohammed Deif, seriously wounded in an Israeli airstrike in 2003, reportedly said on Hamas-run radio that fighters "must invest all resources to uproot this aggressor from our land".

Palestinian militants fired a rocket toward Jerusalem on Tuesday, causing an explosion moments after air raid sirens sounded across the city.

Foreign Secretary William Hague told the Commons that three Israelis, including one woman and a child, and at least 109 Palestinians, including 11 women and 26 children, have so far died in the conflict.

"We have made clear that Hamas must bear primary responsibility for the start of the current crisis but also that all side have responsibilities," Mr Hague said.

"We quickly called on Israel to seek every opportunity to deescalate their military response and to observe international humanitarian law and avoid civilian casualties."

The US has confirmed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will fly from Asia to meet key officials in Jerusalem, Ramallah and then Cairo, as it emerged that Barack Obama has not asked Israel to hold off a ground invasion.

Egyptian officials have held talks with an Israeli envoy and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, but Hamas has insisted on the lifting of a six-year blockade of the Gaza Strip by the opposing side.

Militants said they fired 16 missiles at the southern Israeli city of Beersheba after Israel's military targeted roughly 100 sites in Gaza overnight, including ammunition stores and the Gaza headquarters of the Hamas-backed National Islamic Bank.

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