New York (BBN)-The US is prepared to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, President Barack Obama has said.

His comments came during a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu earlier said Israel's operation was progressing as planned and "more stages were expected".

More than 90 Gazans have been killed since Israel's operation began on Tuesday, Palestinian officials say.

About 600 have been injured, most of them civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

There have no reports of fatalities in Israel.

Israel says it hit more than 100 targets in Gaza on Thursday, while Palestinian militants have continued to fire rockets into Israel.

Israel launched its operation Protective Edge after a surge in rocket fire amid a crackdown on Hamas members in the West Bank last month, as Israel hunted for the abductors of three Israeli teenagers.

The teenagers were found murdered, and tensions were raised further with the killing of a Palestinian teenager in a suspected revenge attack days later.

'FULL-BLOWN WAR'

"The United States remains prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities, including a return to the November 2012 ceasefire agreement," Obama told Netanyahu.

The US leader also "expressed concern about the risk of further escalation and emphasised the need for all sides to do everything they can to protect the lives of civilians and restore calm".

French and Russian Presidents Francois Hollande and Vladimir Putin also made ceasefire pleas.

Earlier, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged both Israel and Palestinian militants to exercise restraint, saying the Middle East could not afford "another full-blown war".

Netanyahu said after a meeting with top security officials that Hamas militants had been hit hard in Gaza.

He gave no indication of when or whether ground troops would be committed to the campaign, Israel's Jerusalem Post newspaper reports.

Israel says its targets in Gaza have been militant fighters and facilities, and that "dozens of terrorists" have been killed.

But the Palestinian health ministry says many of those who have died were women and children.

More than 20 people have been killed in the latest air raids on Gaza, Palestinian officials say – most of whom were in a house and a cafe in Khan Younis.

Israel says militants have fired more than 365 rockets from Gaza since Tuesday – many of which have been intercepted by the Iron Dome system – and that it has attacked about 780 targets over the same time.

EGYPT'S ROLE

Separately, Egyptian state television said the government had decided to open the Rafah border crossing on Thursday to evacuate some of those wounded in the Israeli attacks.

Hospitals in North Sinai have been placed on standby and 30 ambulances sent to the crossing.

Egypt says it is in contact with both sides. But while it has played a key role in the past as a mediator, it currently appears to be biding its time, says the BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo.

Analysts say Egypt is in no hurry to broker a ceasefire that might benefit Hamas – as happened under ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in November 2012.

Egypt sees Hamas, an offshoot of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, as a direct threat.

BBN/ANS-11July14-12:15pm (BST)