U.N. Security Council meets on Gaza conflict

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council will hold a special meeting on Saturday on the crisis between Israel and the Palestinians, the U.N. press office said.

The meeting was set for 7 p.m. EST (2400 GMT).

Israel launched a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, sending tanks and infantry into battle with Hamas fighters who have defied eight days of deadly air strikes with salvos of rocket fire into Israeli towns.

Libya, the sole Arab member of the Security Council, was expected to urge the council to issue some kind of statement condemning the latest actions by Israel and demanding a withdrawal, a council diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

The United States and Libya have clashed repeatedly on the Israeli-Palestinian issue over the last 12 months since Libya joined the Council and the United States has tried to keep the topic off the agenda whenever possible.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate end to Israel's ground operation in Gaza on Saturday, the U.N. press office said in a statement.

In a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Ban conveyed his "extreme concern and disappointment," the statement said.

Ban "is convinced and alarmed that this escalation will inevitably increase the already heavy suffering of the affected civilian populations," the statement said. He asked that Israel ensure civilian safety and allow humanitarian assistance to reach those in need, according to the statement.

The secretary-general urged regional and international partners to "exert all possible influence to bring about an immediate end to the bloodshed and suffering."

(Reporting by Lou Charbonneau, editing by Patricia Zengerle)