Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday urged Israel and the Palestinians to halt fighting Wednesday in a call with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said the world needs to give Israel a "strong" lesson.

"Serious concern was expressed about the continuing clashes and the growing number of people killed and wounded," the Kremlin said in a statement adding that Putin had "called on the parties to de-escalate tensions and peacefully resolve the emerging issues".

The Israeli army has launched hundreds of air strikes on the Gaza Strip since Monday, where Hamas and other militants have responded by firing back volleys of rockets on Israeli cities.

The worst violence in seven years has claimed 50 Palestinian lives and five Israelis since breaking out last Friday.

The world needs to give Israel a "strong" lesson Erdogan told Putin, as the UN Security Council prepared to address surging Israeli-Palestinian violence.

The UN Security Council, where Russia is a permanent member, must "deliver a determined and clear messages for Israel to stop its attacks," Erdogan said.

UN Security Council will hold an urgent meeting later on Wednesday, its second such session in three days, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.

The first, held Monday, ended without a joint statement, with the United States expressing reluctance to adopt a draft statement proposed by Norway "at this point."