The brutal kidnap that killed off hopes of peace in Gaza: UN chief
blames Hamas after Israeli soldier is snatched just moments after
ceasefire began - triggering a new wave of bloodshed- UN chief Ban Ki-moon today blamed Hamas for allegedly violating 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza in a 'grave' move
- Also demanded immediate release of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, 23, who was 'kidnapped' by the militant group
- 'Abduction took place when militants emerged from tunnel and detonated bomb vest, killing two other soldiers'
- Humanitarian ceasefire had been brokered by United States and United Nations in bid to end the deadly conflict
- But Israel resumed shelling in Gaza just two hours after it began after accusing Hamas of snatching the soldier
- Military wing of Hamas claims kidnapping happened before the truce and accused Israel of 'violating' peace deal
- More than 50 Palestinians were reportedly killed and further 200 injured in 'random' shelling in the town of Rafah
- Truce started at 8am local time (6am GMT) to give Gazans chance of humanitarian relief and time to bury the dead
- War between Israel and Hamas has killed at least 1,500 Palestinians, mainly civilians, and more than 60 Israelis
- This evening, Obama administration condemned violation of ceasefire and deemed Lt Goldin's abduction 'barbaric'
- 'Innocent civilians caught in the crossfire have to weigh on our conscience,' said U.S. President Barack Obama
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today
blamed Hamas for violating a 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza as U.S.
President Barack Obama demanded the immediate release of a 'kidnapped'
Israeli soldier.
The
humanitarian ceasefire, brokered by the United States and the United
Nations in a bid to end the deadly 25-day conflict, was supposed to take
effect at 8am (6am GMT) today.
But
less than two hours after it began, it collapsed into a new wave of
bloodshed when an Israeli soldier was reportedly captured by the
militant group Hamas.
Now,
Ban has condemned Hamas for allegedly violating the ceasefire in a
'grave' move that 'is likely to have very serious consequences for the
people of Gaza, Israel and beyond'.
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'Captured': Israel has accused militant group
Hamas of kidnapping soldier Lieutenant Hadar Goldin (left) less than two
hours after the 72-hour ceasefire started at 8am (6am GMT) today.
Right, smoke billows following an Israeli military strike east of Rafah
in the southern Gaza Strip this morning after the humanitarian ceasefire
collapsed
Homeless: Members of the Al Kafarna family are
pictured inspecting the rubble of their destroyed house in the town of
Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip today
Bombardment: An Israeli mobile artillery unit is
pictured firing toward the Gaza Strip after the military formally
announced the end of the humanitarian ceasefire
Calls for action: UN Secretary-General: Ban
Ki-moon (left) today blamed Hamas for violating the 72-hour ceasefire in
Gaza as U.S. President Barack Obama (right) demanded the immediate and
'unconditional' release of Lt Goldin
The UN chief also urged both sides 'to show maximum
restraint and return to the agreed 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire that
tragically lasted such a brief period of time', according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
'Such
moves call into question the credibility of Hamas' assurances to the
United Nations,' said Mr Dujarric. 'The secretary-general condemns in
the strongest terms
the reported violation by Hamas of the mutually agreed humanitarian
ceasefire which commenced this morning.
'He is shocked and profoundly disappointed by these developments.'
Earlier
today, reports emerged that Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, 23, believed to be
the third cousin of Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon, had been
kidnapped by Hamas in an attack that left two others dead less than two hours after the ceasefire began.
The
soldier, who had reportedly got engaged just weeks before being sent to
Gaza with the military, was previously rumoured to be a British
Israeli, but the Foreign Office
has since said it has no information to suggest that he is a British
citizen.
However, he is believed to have lived for several years in Cambridge with his twin brother on two occasions, at the age of six and 15.
Agony: Seven-year-old Ahmad Al Kafarna cries
over the rubble of his destroyed house in Beit Hanun in the northern
Gaza Strip as a humanitarian ceasefire broke down
Nowhere to go: A Palestinian woman carries her
belongings from her destroyed house in the Shejaia neighborhood after it
was hit by Israeli shelling
Shelling: Israeli artillery shell toward targets
in the Gaza Strip form at an unspecified location next to the
Israeli-Gaza border after the ceasefire collapsed this morning
Attack: The humanitarian ceasefire, brokered by
the United States and the United Nations in a bid to end the deadly
25-day conflict, was supposed to take effect at 8am
On the move: But less than two hours after it
began, it collapsed into a new wave of bloodshed when Lt Goldin was
reportedly captured by the militant group Hamas
His father spent time on sabbatical as an
academic at Cambridge University and the family played an active role
in the Jewish community, a friend told the Jerusalem Post.
Rabbi Reuven Leigh, chaplain at Cambridge
university, wrote on Twitter: ‘Shaken to hear of Hadar Goldin’s
kidnapping, he spent a few years living in Cambridge with his family,
please pray for his safe return.’
Israeli
army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said that the apparent
abduction took place when Palestinian gunmen emerged from their network
of tunnels, with at least one fighter detonating an explosives vest.
In the ensuing mayhem, Lt Goldin was
apparently captured and taken back into Gaza through a tunnel, while
another two soldiers were killed.
'We suspect that he has been kidnapped,' Col Lerner said.
Reports of the kidnapping provoked a
furious backlash from Israel, with former deputy defence minister, Danny
Danon saying: 'If we don't get the soldier back within a few hours we
should start levelling Gaza.'
This
evening, the Obama administration described the apparent abduction of
Lt Goldin as a 'barbaric' action and called for his 'unconditional
release'.
US President Barack Obama said at a news conference: 'I want to make sure
[Hamas] are listening, if they are serious about resolving this
situation that soldier needs to be released unconditionally.
Appalling loss of life: Palestinian Nidal Abu
Rjeilah, 30, leans over the blanket-covered corpse of his disabled
sister Ghadeer, 17, in the southern Gaza village of Khuzaa
Obliterated: Destroyed houses in Al-Shejaeiya
neighbourhood in the east of Gaza City after the ceasefire between Hamas
and Israel collapsed
Running for cover: Palestinians run for cover
during clashes with Israeli soldiers following a protest against the war
in the Gaza Strip, outside Ofer, an Israeli military prison near the
West Bank city of Ramallah, today
Terrified: A man is pictured running in terror
during the clashes. Today marks the 25th day of the conflict, which has
so far claimed the lives of at least 1,500 Palestinians
He
added that he 'unequivocally condemns' the militant group for capturing
Lt Goldin 'minutes after a ceasefire had been announced'.
'Innocent civilians caught in the crossfire have to weigh on our conscience, and we have to do more,' he said.
Meanwhile,
Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement: 'The United States
condemns in the strongest possible terms today's attack.'
Kerry
learned of the attack aboard an Air Force plane as he was flying home
from New Delhi, when an aide showed him press reports of the fresh
outbreak of violence.
The
aide said Kerry 'immediately grasped the severity' of the situation and
started calling diplomats across the Mideast. He spoke with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the foreign ministers from Qatar and
Turkey, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, and reached Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas when his plane landed at a refueling stop at
Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
He
also spoke with U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice, the aide
said. The aide was not authorized to discuss Kerry's private calls
publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
By
the time Kerry was told about the broken truce, it was about 11:30 am
in Israel, and the fighting had already resumed more than two hours
earlier.
In his
statement, Kerry said it would be a 'tragedy if this outrageous attack
leads to more suffering and loss of life on both sides of this
conflict'.
'The
international community must now redouble its efforts to end the tunnel
and rocket attacks by Hamas terrorists on Israel and the suffering and
loss of civilian life,' he said.
According
to Netanyahu's office, the prime minister told Kerry that 'Hamas has
unilaterally and grossly violated the humanitarian cease-fire' and 'will
bear the consequences of their actions'.
UN Secretary-General Ban
today noted that the UN has no independent means to verify exactly what
happened this morning. He also expressed deep concern at the resumption of Israeli attacks on Gaza
that killed more 50 Palestinians this morning, according to Mr Dujarric.
'Instead
of giving both sides, especially Gazan civilians, a much needed
reprieve to let them attend to their injured, bury their dead and repair
vital infrastructure, this breach of the ceasefire is now leading to a
renewed escalation,' said Mr Dujarric.
UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman told reporters that Ban is
'profoundly disappointed' that the assurances from Hamas were not kept.
'Our goal was very clear: we need to end the killing,' Mr Feltman said.
Mr Feltman added that the alleged capture of Lt Goldin will make it more difficult to
get back to the point last night night when a ceasefire was announced.
Today, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warned the apparent abduction of Lt Goldin - less than two
hours after the start of a supposed humanitarian ceasefire between
Israel and Hamas in Gaza - could have serious consequences.
'If
the reports that Hamas broke the ceasefire are correct then that is
very serious indeed, as is the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier which
will make it all the more difficult to re-establish the ceasefire to
allow a humanitarian pause in Gaza,' he said.
Israel
and Hamas blamed each other for the breakdown of the ceasefire. Israel
had earlier cited the
kidnapping as the reason why it resumed shelling in the town of Rafah,
Gaza, killing dozens of Palestinians and leaving a further 200 injured.
Palestinians walk by the rubble of destroyed
houses in the heavily bombed town of Beit Hanoun as Hamas and Israel
blamed each other for breaking the truce
Left in ruins: The three-week war has killed
nearly 1,500 Palestinians, mainly civilians, and more than 60 Israelis,
nearly all soldiers
On the move: Israeli Merkava tanks are pictured
travelling in southern Israel towards the border with Gaza after the
ceasefire collapsed this morning
In protective gear: Israeli reserved soldiers,
donning kerchiefs to protect against the dust, are pictured directing
their tanks and armored personnel carriers as they advance towards the
Israel-Gaza border this morning
However, the Al Qassam
Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said the soldier had not been taken after the ceasefire.
In a statement on Twitter, it said: 'There is no justification
for Israel to violate the truce as the officer was captured and two
soldiers were killed before the truce.'
Col
Lerner said the attack happened in southern Gaza where Israeli forces
had been searching for tunnels which posed a 'huge threat'.
He
said: 'In the early hours of today during the humanitarian ceasefire
that the Israeli defence forces were implementing, at 9.30am, some
terrorists came out of the ground.
'One
of them had a suicide belt on and blew himself up. Others came out and
carried out some shooting and gun fight. In the aftermath of that, we
had two soldiers killed in this attack and indeed Lt Goldin was
supposedly abducted from the site.
'Hamas were using this humanitarian recess as a cover to carry out this attack while we were holding our fire.'
A
spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said: 'The Board of
Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, on behalf
of the UK Jewish community, would like to express our dismay and
revulsion at the kidnapping of British born, Israeli soldier Hadar
Goldin.
Innocent victims: A mother cradles her two children, while other toddlers lies on a mat next to her, at a hospital in Rafah
Terrified: Palestinian children, whom medics say
were wounded by Israeli shelling, receive treatment at a hospital in
Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
Traumatised: Gaza health official Ashraf
al-Kidra said that in addition to the dead, some 200 Palestinians were
wounded in 'random' Israeli shelling of the Rafah area
Shocking: A Palestinian girl injured in an
Israeli assault on Rafah cries as she receives treatment at the Abu
Yousef al-Najjar Hospital in Gaza City
'The kidnapping took
place as part of a violent ambush by Hamas, within hours of the UN, US
and Egypt-backed "72-hour ceasefire" taking effect.
'We
urge the Government to show its support for the Goldin family and to
speak out against this deplorable act by the terrorist group Hamas and
do everything in its power to secure his release.'
The Israeli military says Gaza militants also fired eight rockets and mortars at Israel, one of which was intercepted.
Gaza
health official Ashraf al-Kidra said that in addition to the dead, some
200 Palestinians were wounded in the 'random' Israeli shelling of the
Rafah area in southern Gaza.
He said the death toll could rise as
rescue workers continue to search for people buried under the rubble of
several apartment blocks hit by shells.
He did not say whether the victims
were civilians or militants. Palestinian sources also claimed three
other people were shot by Israeli sniper fire.
'Once
again, Hamas and the terror organizations in Gaza have blatantly broken
the ceasefire to which they committed, this time before the American
Secretary of State and the UN Secretary General,' Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement shortly after the
fighting broke out.
Wounded: Palestinian children wounded in Israeli shelling are treated in a hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip today
Near miss: Palestinians look at an unexploded
Israeli shell that landed on the main road outside the town of Deir
Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip
Blitzed: Smoke billows from buildings following
Israeli military strikes near Rafah in the Gaza Strip that killed at
least eight people two hours into a three-day ceasefire
Reduced to rubble: Medics said at least 35
people were killed and 150 wounded in intensive Israeli shelling on
buildings in southern Gaza
Protests: A Palestinian protester uses a
slingshot to throw stones towards Israeli troops (left), while another
rolls a burning tyre (right) at the entrance of Israeli-run Ofer prison
in the West Bank village of Betunia during clashes following a protest
against Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip
Israel
launched an aerial campaign against Gaza aimed at halting Palestinian
rocket fire on July 8 and later sent in ground troops to target launch
sites and tunnels used by Hamas to carry out attacks inside Israel.
The
war has killed at least 1,500 Palestinians, mainly civilians, and more
than 60 Israelis, nearly all soldiers.
At
least four short humanitarian ceasefires have been announced since the
conflict began, but each has been broken within a few hours by renewed
fighting. Today's temporary ceasefire was the longest to be announced thus far.
Under
the ceasefire, Israeli troops on the ground in Gaza were to continue to
destroy tunnels along the heavily guarded frontier, but only those that
are behind Israeli defensive lines and lead into Israel.
Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to destroy Hamas' tunnel network 'with or without a ceasefire.'
But
military spokesman Moti Almoz told Army Radio today that Israel would
not be able to eliminate the tunnel threat '100 per cent.'
Soon
after the ceasefire went into force, Gaza's residents took advantage of
the truce to return to their homes, many of which had been destroyed in
the fighting. Some arrived on tuk-tuks - three-wheeled taxis - by car
or on foot to retrieve their belongings.
Onslaught: Israeli soldiers stand on an armoured
personnel carrier outside the Gaza Strip as they fire mortar shell
towards Gaza before the ceasefire was due to begin
Near
a main road in in the heavily bombarded Gaza district of Shijaiyah,
less than a mile from the Israeli border, residents surveyed extensive
damage.
Basem Abul Qumbus
returned to find his three-story home - in which he had invested tens of
thousands of dollars - uninhabitable.
Tank shells had punched a hole in the ceiling of one bedroom and a wall had collapsed into the kitchen.
'The
work of all those years is gone,' he said, as he struggled to salvage
flour from bags that had been torn apart by shrapnel. Food supplies are
running short in the blockaded coastal territory in the war's fourth
week.
Egypt issued a
statement early Friday calling on the Western-backed Palestinian
Authority and Israel to send negotiation teams to Cairo to discuss 'all
issues of concern to each party within the framework of the Egyptian
initiative.'
Egypt had put
forth a cease-fire proposal a week after fighting began last month.
Israel accepted the proposal, but Hamas, which deeply mistrusts Egypt
following last summer's overthrow of an Islamist government in Cairo,
rejected it.
Hamas has
demanded the lifting of an Israeli and Egyptian border blockade imposed
on Gaza in 2007 when the Islamic militant group seized power, as well as
the release of Palestinians rounded up in the West Bank in June
following the killing of three Israeli teenagers.
In
recent weeks Turkey and Qatar, which have warmer ties to Hamas but are
at odds with Egypt, have tried to help broker a cease-fire agreement,
with no results.
It's not
clear whether other nations will attend the Egypt talks, and aides to
Kerry said Egypt will ultimately decide who will participate. A Hamas
official in Qatar said Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials would be
participating. Israel will not meet directly with members of either
group because it considers them terrorist organizations.
Hours
before the cease-fire was to take effect, 17 Palestinians were killed
in Israeli strikes, including 10 from the same family, according to
al-Kidra, the Health Ministry official in Gaza. He said the family
members were killed in an airstrike on their home in the southern Gaza
town of Khan Younis.
Fleeting peace: Gaza City seen shortly before
the start of a 72-hour ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas to
allow for bodies to be recovered and funerals held
Israel's military said five of its soldiers were killed along the Gaza border Thursday evening by a mortar round.
At
least 1,496 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed since
hostilities began July 8, according to Palestinian officials. Israel
says 61 of its soldiers and three civilians in Israel have been killed.
Hours
ahead of the cease-fire, Gaza police reported heavy Israeli tank
shelling in northern and eastern Gaza, and the loud exchange of fire
with militants could be heard across Gaza City.
Tank shells slammed into
the city itself, setting homes and shops ablaze.
Hamas
fighters hit an Israeli tank with an anti-tank missile, Gaza police
said. The militants then attacked Israeli troops who came to evacuate
the tank crew. Clashes continued into the early morning hours, police
said.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the matter.
Israeli
police meanwhile warned residents to stay away from Israeli communities
near the Gaza border during the cease-fire, saying the area remains 'a
war zone.'
'We ask the
public to heed the orders of the police and army and not to go to the
Gaza Strip border area, it is a threat to your life!!!' the police said
in a statement.
Police said
Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in a number of
neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, and that Israelis attacked an empty
bus.
Officers also restricted the entry of worshippers to a key Muslim
holy site in the city to prevent disturbances.
Read more:
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2712656/Israel-Gaza-ceasefire-ends-sides-blame-breaching-truce.html#ixzz39FfLTUAX
More pictures:
Palestinians gather around the rubble of a building where at least 20
members of the Al Najar extended family were killed by an Israeli strike
in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on July 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba) # 
Israeli army officers talk with journalists at the entrance of a tunnel
said to be used by Palestinian militants for cross-border attacks
before an army-organized tour at the Gaza border on July 25, 2014. (Reuters/Jack Guez) #
An Israeli army officer gives explanations to journalists during an
army-organized tour in a tunnel said to be used by Palestinian militants
for cross-border attacks, on July 25, 2014. (Reuters/Jack Guez) #
Smoke and fire from the explosion of an Israeli strike rise over Gaza City on July 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) #
A bird flies near the media complex that houses the offices of
Hamas-run Al Aqsa television and radio after it was targeted in an
Israeli strike in central Gaza City on July 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) #
Palestinians attend the evening prayers outside a destroyed mosque,
after it was hit by an Israeli strike in Gaza City on July 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) #
Israeli soldiers, family, and friends mourn over the grave of Sergeant
Sagi Erez, an infantry soldier training to be a squad commander, during
his funeral at the military cemetery in Haifa, northern Israel on July
29, 2014. Erez, 19, was killed Monday in combat after Gaza militants
used a tunnel to sneak into Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) #
Israeli forces' flares light up the night sky of Gaza City on July 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) #
An explosion during an Israeli strike in the northern Gaza Strip early
in the morning of July 26, 2014, before a cease-fire briefly took
effect. (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun) #
Palestinian Ismail Radwan, 45, inspects the damage to his family
apartment caused by a fallen minaret of the Al-Sousi mosque, that was
destroyed in an Israel strike, at Shati refugee camp, in the northern
Gaza Strip, on July 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) #
Widespread destruction in the Shejaia neighborhood, which witnesses
said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes on July 26,
2014. (Reuters/Mohammed Salem) #
Flames engulf the fuel tanks of the only power plant supplying
electricity to the Gaza Strip after it was hit by overnight Israeli
shelling, on July 29, 2014, in the south of Gaza City. The damage of the
power plant exacerbated the heavy damage to civilian infrastructure in
Gaza already inflicted during the 22 days of the Israeli offensive aimed
at stamping out militant rocket fire and destroying attack tunnels. (Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images) #
In a picture taken from the Israel-Gaza border, smoke rises from the
coastal side of the Gaza strip following an Israeli air strike on July
30, 2014. (Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images) #
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