U.N.'s Ban condemns Mideast violence

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Saturday for an immediate halt to the violence in southern Israel and in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, where an Israeli air attack has killed at least 195 people.

Ban said in a statement on the U.N. website that "while recognizing Israel's security concerns regarding the continued firing of rockets from Gaza," he condemned Israel's "excessive use of force leading to the killing and injuring of civilians."

"The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by today's heavy violence and bloodshed in Gaza, and the continuation of violence in southern Israel," the statement added.

Ban also condemned "the ongoing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants and is deeply distressed that repeated calls on Hamas for these attacks to end have gone unheeded."

Israel said its warplanes and helicopters had targeted "terrorist infrastructure" following days of rocket attacks from Gaza on southern Israel that caused some damage but few injuries.

Both sides said they were ready to stage wider assaults.

Ban said he was contacting regional and international leaders, including the so-called Quartet group of the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, in an effort to bring a swift end to the violence.

(Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Peter Cooney)