Israeli soldiers help offload a mobile artillery unit from the back of a truck in a staging area outside...
Israeli soldiers help offload a mobile artillery unit from the back of a truck in a staging area outside the Gaza Strip July 22, 2014. Israel pounded targets across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, saying no ceasefire was near as top U.S. and U.N. diplomats pursued talks on halting fighting that has claimed more than 500 lives. With the conflict entering its third week, the Palestinian death toll rose to 546, including nearly 100 children and many other civilians, Gaza health officials said. Israel's casualties also mounted, with the military announcing the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing the number of army fatalities to 27 - almost three times as many as were killed in the last ground invasion of Gaza, in a 2008-2009 war. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY)