Tripoli , Libya ( CNN ) -- As Libya entered its fourth week of bloody clashes Tuesday , there was little doubt that the situation had turned into all-out civil war . Rebels have seized several cities from government control and the army has fiercely fought to reclaim some of them . Death toll estimates have ranged from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000 . Thousands more have fled the country , prompting a human rights group to once again urge both sides to allow humanitarian aid in . `` Both the Libyan government and opposition forces need to allow unhindered access for aid organizations to assist civilians , '' Bill Frelick , refugee program director at Human Rights Watch said Tuesday . `` People living in areas of heavy fighting in western Libya are now in dire need of medical aid and other assistance . '' Late Monday night , the Gulf Cooperation Council said Libya had rejected its offer of humanitarian aid . The council is comprised of Bahrain , Kuwait , Oman , Qatar , Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates . Meanwhile , Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi took aim at the rebel-controlled town of Ras Lanuf , launching aerial strikes Monday to crush the uprising against him . Gadhafi 's aerial forces targeted the main road heading into the oil town after launching another air strike earlier , five kilometers ( 3.1 miles ) southeast of the city . The opposition fired anti-aircraft guns in response . The protests against Gadhafi began February 15 as anti-government demonstrators sought the ouster of the 68-year-old Gadhafi who has ruled for nearly 42 years of rule . It started as the kind of revolution that swept neighboring Tunisia and Egypt , but since then the uprising has turned into warfare . And as reports continue to emerge of the government 's use of force against civilians , the international community has been left pondering strategies on how to end the violence . Three members of the U.N. Security Council -- France , Britain , and the United States -- were working Monday on a possible resolution that would include language on a no-fly zone over Libya , diplomatic sources at the United Nations said . And the Gulf Cooperation Council said Monday night they supported such an action . But any kind of military intervention could face sharp criticism from Russia and China , two permanent members of the council that wield veto power . U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday he had a `` very clear message to those who are around Col . Gadhafi . '' `` It is their choice to make how they operate moving forward and they will be held accountable for whatever violence continues to take place there , '' he said . NATO said it has begun around-the-clock surveillance flights of Libya . `` We 've got NATO as we speak consulting in Brussels around a wide range of potential options , including potential military options , '' Obama added . With no clear end to the deadly clashes in sight , U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed a new special envoy to Libya to discuss the crisis with officials in Tripoli . The fierce fighting has sparked the flight of Libyans and foreigners out of Libya , with nations across the globe scrambling to help people leave . About 200,000 people have fled Libya with nearly equal numbers going to Tunisia and Egypt , the U.N. refugee agency has said . But between 15,000 and 17,000 people are still at a refugee camp near the Libya-Tunisia border . Of those left , the majority are from Bangladesh , the U.N. refugee agency said . The group plans to start running chartered flights to there Tuesday . A man who said he was trapped in Misrata , a city east of Tripoli that has seen heavy clashes , said the rebels were running out of weapons -- but will continue to fight . `` Maybe tomorrow I 'll still be alive , i do n't know . I have nothing to lose , '' the man said . `` Nobody believes he will be alive tomorrow . Nobody knows . We need support . '' CNN 's Ben Wedeman , Nic Robertson , Arwa Damon , Salma Abdelaziz , Jomana Karadsheh and Caroline Faraj contributed to this report .
Gulf : Gulf states say Libya has rejected their offer of humanitarian aid . NEW : They support a no - fly zone over Libya . Human rights group urges both sided to allow planes in . 3 members of the U.N. Security Council discuss a possible no - fly zone .