172 people in Gaza have been killed

             ***********    172 people in Gaza have been killed   ***********

Israel's military says it has downed an unmanned drone along its southern coastline, the first time it has encountered an unmanned aircraft since its offensive on Gaza began seven days ago.Hamas, the group that runs Gaza, said its armed wing had sent several drones to carry out "special missions" deep inside Israel - a development which, if confirmed, would mark a step up in the sophistication of its arsenal. The military said in a tweet that the drone came from Gaza and that it was shot down on Monday by a patriot missile near the southern city of Ashdod.The force said it was trying to locate debris in the area about 25kms north of Gaza, and determine whether it had carried explosives.Since the seven-day-old Gaza offensive began, 172 Palestinians - including 29 children and 19 women - have been killed and 1,230 wounded, according to emergency services.About 17,000 people have taken shelter in premises owned by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, the agency said in a statement.Hamas have fired nearly 1,000 rockets at Israel, causing some injuries and damage to property, but no fatalities.Early on Monday, aircraft struck three training facilities of Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, around Gaza's coastal territory but caused no casualties, medics and eyewitnesses said.They also hit buildings in Gaza City, Deir el-Balah in the southern part of the strip, and in the northern town of Jabaliya, injuring an unspecified number of people.There was shelling reported in Beit Lahiya, in the far north of the strip, where Israel had earlier warned residents of an impending assault.US Secretary of State John Kerry phoned Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to renew a US offer to help mediate a truce. He highlighted the US concern about escalating tensions on the ground," a senior State Department official said.Kerry also said that he was engaged with regional leaders 

Israel has been building up its troops along the border with northern Gaza, fuelling speculation of a possible ground invasion.Defending Israel's actions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US broadcaster.The IDF says it has so far struck some 1,320 "terror" sites across Gaza, while Hamas has launched more than 800 rockets at Israel.At least three Israelis have been seriously injured since the violence erupted, but no Israelis have been killed by the attacks.A Palestinian health ministry spokesman has said 1,260 people have been injured in Gaza.France on Sunday again condemned the Hamas rocket attacks, but also called on Israel to "show restraint" in its Gaza campaign and avoid civilian casualties.Germany is sending Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Israel on Monday for talks with Israelis and Palestinians to help negotiate an end to the violence.The UN Security Council has called for a ceasefire and renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.Rocket fire and air strikes increased after the abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers in June and the suspected revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem.Israel and militants in Gaza fought an eight-day war in November 2012, which ended with a truce.