Spiralling violence between Israel and Hamas Islamists who control Gaza is "escalating towards a full-scale war," the UN envoy for Middle East Peace said Tuesday. "Stop the fire immediately," Tor Wennesland said after a day that saw Palestinian militant groups fire more than 600 rockets towards Israel, which responded with hundreds of air strikes. "We're escalating towards a full-scale war. Leaders on all sides have to take the responsibility of de-escalation," Wennesland said. bur-bs/dl