Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has contacted his Swiss counterpart and called for a meeting of contracting states of the Geneva Conventions, an official said on Wednesday.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Reyad al-Malki said that such a meeting aims to put an end to the Israeli offensive in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Al-Malki said in a press statement that he met with Switzerland 's diplomatic representative in the West Bank Paul Garnieh and handed him an official letter from Abbas. The letter is addressed to the Swiss president who is the depositary of the Geneva Conventions.

"In his letter, President Abbas asked his Swiss counterpart to hold emergency consultations for holding an emergency summit to force Israel to be committed to the international laws amid its aggression on the Palestinians," al-Malki said.

He added that the state of Palestine, which is recognized as a UN non-member observer state, "has the right to join the international agencies, including the contracting states of the Geneva Conventions."

Earlier on Tuesday Israel launched a large-scale aerial operation against the Gaza Strip, killing so far at least 46 Palestinians, two third of whom were children and women, and wounding more than 400. Israel said its operation was to reign on Gaza militants who fire rockets into Israel.