Egypt asks US to stop Israel's Gaza offensive

CAIRO (AP) - Egypt has asked the United States to push Israel to stop its offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, warning that the violence could escalate out of control.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry says in a statement released on Thursday that Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr spoke with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton late the night before, asking for "immediate US intervention to stop the Israeli aggression".

Israel barraged the Gaza Strip on Wednesday with airstrikes and shelling, killing the Hamas military chief and 10 other Palestinian militants and civilians, in a campaign launched to stop rocket attacks from Islamic militants in the territory.

On Thursday, militant rockets fired into Israel killed three Israelis, raising the likelihood of a further escalation.