Gaza: 12-Hour 'Humanitarian Truce' Begins

A 12-hour ceasefire has begun in Gaza after Israel and Hamas agreed a temporary truce on humanitarian grounds.

Israel has warned it will keep targeting tunnels and fight back if its troops or civilians are attacked during the brief respite from 18 days of violence - which officially started at 8am (6am UK time).

Parts of Gaza came under heavy bombardment, with explosions and black smoke rising above Gaza City minutes before the break in hostilities was due to begin.

The ceasefire comes after Israel suggested it is preparing to "broaden" its ground assault on Gaza after reportedly rejecting an international plan for a week-long truce.

John Kerry speaks with Qatar's Foreign Minister about the truce

US Secretary of State John Kerry remains "confident progress can be made" on a seven-day truce that would "bring people together to create a more durable plan".

However, on Friday evening Israel's defence minister told troops: "You need to be ready for the possibility that very soon we will instruct the military to significantly broaden the ground operation in Gaza."

Ahead of the truce, eight Palestinians were killed by an airstrike in Gaza and Israeli troops shot dead two teenagers in continuing West Bank protests in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Smoke billows from Gaza City after Israeli airstrikes

Nasri Mahmud Paqatqa, 16, was killed and five others wounded in a clash at the village of Beit Fajar, south of Bethlehem and 18-year-old Bassem Abu Rub died in a protest at the Jalama military checkpoint in the northern West Bank, Palestinian officials told AFP.

In Gaza, two Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting on Friday evening, the army confirmed.

Mr Kerry is now heading to Paris for international talks on a ceasefire, with Britain, Germany, Turkey and Qatar among those attending.

He told a news conference in Cairo a "fundamental framework" for peace was in place and that it would "ultimately succeed".

"The world is watching tragic moment after tragic moment unfold and is wondering when everybody is going to come to their senses," said Mr Kerry.

A map showing the areas of conflict and violence

An unnamed source from the Israeli government said they were seeking modifications as the truce proposal "leans too much towards Hamas demands".

Speaking alongside Mr Kerry, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said there had been "tireless efforts" to bring both sides to the table, and that the people of Gaza have "bled enough".

"They are trapped… living under constant fear of rocket attacks," he said. "Surely now, all parties must realise it's time to act."

The bombardment continued in Gaza, with two children and a pregnant woman among 55 killed by Israeli strikes according to officials - though doctors managed to save the unborn child.

Meanwhile, Sky's Sherine Tadros witnessed a "barrage" of rockets fired out of Gaza by militants. Many were intercepted and no casualties were reported.

Some 140,000 people have fled Gaza since the conflict began on July 8. More than 850 Palestinians have lost their lives.

Three civilians have died in Israel from rocket fire, while 37 Israeli soldiers have been killed during combat.

Security concerns prompted several airlines to stop flying to Tel Aviv earlier this week - but both Air France and Lufthansa have now lifted their bans.

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Air Algerie: Briton Among Plane Crash Victims

A British man was among those killed when an Air Algerie flight crashed in Africa, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

A statement from the FCO said: "It is with deep regret that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirms the death of a British man onboard Air Algerie flight AH5107.

"We are providing consular support to his family at this tragic time, and we ask that the media respect the privacy of those grieving."

A 10-year-old girl perished along with her entire family in the tragedy

The death of the Briton - who is understood to be named David Morgan - was announced as the first photos emerged of the crash site.

Flight AH5017 came down in southern Mali, killing 118 people, including 54 French nationals.

Debris from the plane can be seen scattered over an area of desert south of Gao.

Flight AH5017 had been heading to Algiers when it crashed in southern Mali

Burnt-out wreckage and parts of the fuselage can just be made out against the charred sand.

Meanwhile, a 10-year-old French girl is reported to have spoken of her fears before the flight.

The girl, called Chloe, perished in the tragedy along with her parents, Bruno Cailleret and Caroline Boisnard, as well as her elder brother and grandmother.

French President Francois Hollande said no one survived the crash

The loss of the entire family in the disaster has left the small town of Menet in central France "devastated", according to Denise Labbe of the town hall.

The five had been returning from a trip to Burkina Faso, where Ms Boisnard's uncle lived.

They had been due to land in the southern city of Marseille after flying via Algiers, which is where the doomed aircraft was heading.

The plane was owned by Spanish private airline Swiftair and operated by Air Algerie.

It vanished from radar over West Africa and no one survived the crash, French President Francois Hollande said.

Ms Labbe said: "Everyone is devastated in the town. We all know the family, who live in front of the town hall.

"No one can quite believe it. It's like having a bad dream."

Chloe had been excited about the trip to Burkina Faso, she said, adding: "She had confided in her teacher before leaving about her fear of taking the plane, which she was doing for the first time".

Ms Boisnard's brother had gone to meet them at the airport and became aware of the tragedy when the family failed to appear at the arrivals gate.

A family of 10, including four children, from the Rhone-Alpes region of France were also killed in the crash.

The number of people killed was increased from 116 to 118 after the final passenger manifest was released.

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Air Algerie Plane Wreckage Found In Mali

The wreckage of an Air Algerie flight which vanished from radar in West Africa has been discovered in southern Mali - but no survivors have yet been found, authorities have said.

Burkina Faso's commander in chief Gilbert Diendere said the burnt-out wreckage of flight AH5017 was found south of the Mali town of Gao.

Local Malian authorities in the nearby town of Gossi also told Reuters the wreckage had been located there.

General Diendere the search team had gone from Burkina Faso to Mali to follow up on information they had received about the possible crash location.

Families of the 116 people onboard wait for news

He said: "The team went to meet, first of all, our informers and bring our informers on the crash site. And indeed, the mission found, on the site, pieces of the plane, this team found on the site, sadly, remains of dead bodies.

"We were not able to evaluate exactly what is the situation as night began to fall and this team has confirmed that it has seen the remains of the plane, totally burned out and scattered on the ground."

Minister of communications Alain Edouard Traore described the accident as the greatest tragedy in the country's air history.

AH5017 left Ouagadougou airport at 1.17am local time. Pic: Sputniktilt

He said President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who has declared two days of national mourning, is due to visit the crash site today.

The Air Algerie jet, which was carrying 110 passengers and six crew, was travelling from Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou to the Algerian capital Algiers when it disappeared around 50 minutes into the flight.

Earlier, France's foreign minister Laurent Fabius said authorities believed the aircraft may have encountered bad weather after the pilot requested to change direction shortly after take-off due to a storm.

However, he said no theories had been excluded.

The twin-engined MD-83 carries 168 people

Burkina Faso's transport minister Jean Bertin Ouedrago said the plane's passenger list included 51 French citizens.

Also on the jet were 27 Burkina Faso nationals, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, five Canadians, four Germans, two Luxemburg nationals, one Swiss, one Belgium, one Egyptian, one Ukrainian, one Nigerian, one Cameroonian and one Malian.

The six crew members were Spanish, according to the Spanish pilots' union.

Flight AH5017 is owned by Spanish private airline Swiftair and operated by Air Algerie.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 had been missing for hours before news of its disappearance was made public.

Ouagadougou is in a nearly straight line south of Algiers, separated by Mali where unrest continues in the north of the country.

Airlines had been warned not to fly over Mali in recent days, Sky News understands.

However, a senior French official said it is unlikely that fighters in Mali could shoot down a plane.

They are known to have shoulder-fired weapons which could not hit an aircraft travelling at a cruising altitude of some 33,000ft.

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Two Palestinians Killed In West Bank Protest

Key Dates In The Gaza-Israel Conflict

Updated: 11:43am UK, Thursday 24 July 2014

Israel's ground offensive in the Gaza Strip continues with forces attempting to destroy Hamas' weapons arsenal and rocketing-firing capabilities.

Here are the key events from the fighting that preceded and have followed Israel's operation:

July 8 - Israel launches "Operation Protective Edge" in a bid to quell near-daily militant rocket attacks in the aftermath of the abduction and killing of a Palestinian teenager in what appeared to be a revenge attack for the seizure and slaying of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank in June.

July 9 - Hamas rockets rain deep into Israel as the military pummels Palestinian targets. The military says 74 rockets landed in Israel, including in the northern city of Hadera, the deepest rocket strike ever from Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas will pay a "heavy price".

July 10 - Israel intensifies its bombardment. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges an immediate ceasefire but neither side shows much interest in halting the fighting.

July 11 - Mr Netanyahu vows to press forward with a broad military offensive. The Israeli military says it has hit more than 1,100 targets, mostly rocket-launching sites, while Palestinian militants fired more than 600 rockets at Israel. The Lebanese military says militants there fired three rockets toward Israel and the Israelis retaliated with about 25 artillery shells.

July 12 - Gaza City becomes a virtual ghost town as streets empty, shops close and hundreds of thousands of people keep close to home. The death toll rises to more than 156 Palestinians after more than 1,200 Israeli air strikes.

July 13 - Israel widens its campaign, targeting civilian institutions with suspected Hamas ties, and briefly deploys ground troops inside Gaza to raid a rocket launching site. Four Israeli soldiers are hurt during the brief incursion. Egypt, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, continues to work behind the scenes.

July 14 - Israel says it's downed an unmanned drone along its southern coastline. Egypt presents a cease-fire plan that is praised by President Barack Obama at a White House dinner celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

July 15 - Israeli Cabinet accepts Egypt's truce plan, halting fire for six hours but Hamas rejects the proposal, instead unleashing more rockets at Israel and prompting Israel to resume heavy bombardment. Rocket fire kills an Israeli man delivering food to soldiers, the first Israeli fatality in the fighting. Four Gaza boys, all cousins, are killed on a beach by shells fired from a navy ship.

July 16 - Hamas fires dozens of rockets into Israel, vowing not to agree to a ceasefire until its demands are met. The Gaza Interior Ministry's website says Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of airstrikes, targeting 30 houses, including those of four senior Hamas leaders. Later, both Israel and Hamas agree to a five-hour UN brokered "humanitarian" pause to start the following day.

July 17 - Both sides trade fire in run-up to the brief truce, which Gazans use to restock on food and other supplies. Israel says it foiled an attack by 13 Gaza militants who infiltrated through a tunnel. Fierce fighting resumes after the truce expires, including an airstrike that kills three Palestinian children. After nightfall, the Israeli military launches a ground invasion into Gaza Strip.

July 18 - Eight members of the same Palestinian family - two men, two women and four children - are killed by Israeli tank fire as the ground offensive to date claims the lives of 51 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier.

July 19 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he wants to meet both sides to try to secure a truce as Israel pledges to step up its ground offensive. Hamas says its fighters are "behind enemy lines" as security alerts are triggered in southern Israel.

July 20 - Fresh airstrikes, artillery shelling and gun battles overnight kill 12 Palestinians and two more Israeli soldiers, as Israel intensifies its ground offensive in Gaza. Israeli minister Naftali Bennett defends the ground offensive in Gaza and accuses Hamas of "self-genocide" by using women and children as human shields.

July 21 - Another airstrike kills 26 members of the same family, while seven more Israeli soldiers die in gun battles with Hamas fighters. Thirty of those wounded in the attack are reportedly medical staff.

July 22 - The Palestinian leadership proposes a ceasefire plan to mediators in Egypt which would be followed by five days of negotiations to stop the fighting which has claimed the lives of more than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and 29 Israelis, including 27 soldiers.

July 23 - An international inquiry into Israel's actions in Gaza is launched, after the UN's Human Rights Commissioner says there is a "strong possibility" the country is guilty of war crimes. Several major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada suspend flights to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza lands near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

July 24 - British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warns Benjamin Netanyahu the West is losing sympathy for Israel amid the rising number of civilian deaths during its offensive in Gaza, as international efforts to end the conflict intensify. However, hopes of an effective ceasefire quickly diminish after Israel vows to continue hunting Palestinian cross-border tunnels under any humanitarian truce, while Hamas also rejects a truce without the lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza.

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MH17: Victims' Bodies Flown To The Netherlands

The first victims of downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 are set to arrive back in the Netherlands from the crash site in eastern Ukraine.

Two military aircraft will fly some of the bodies to Eindhoven where they will be met by relatives, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and members of the Dutch royal family.

A national day of mourning for the 298 people on board the downed Malaysia Airlines plane, the majority of whom were Dutch, has been declared for today.

This will include a silent march in Amsterdam for the victims this evening.

A traveller looks at flowers outside Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport

A minute's silence will be held before a motorcade takes the bodies to the Korporaal van Oudheusden military barracks, where the long process of identifying the remains will begin.

Mr Rutte has warned the identification process could take weeks or even months.

A British team of police officers, led by the Metropolitan Police, will help identify the victims.

The Boeing 777-200 took off from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, bound for Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, last Thursday.

The bodies of the victims were released by the pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine on Tuesday, who said the remains of 282 people were on board a refrigerated train.

A Malaysian air crash investigator inspects the crash site of MH17

However, a member of the Dutch forensics team said there were only 200 bodies, in addition to some body parts.

Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) at the crash scene confirmed there were still some unrecovered human remains and "smaller body parts".

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said Australian families affected will be offered the chance to go to the Netherlands to travel home with the bodies of their loved ones.

As well as the transfer of some of the bodies, the jet's two black boxes have been handed over by the separatists.

The flight data recorders will be examined by British experts from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

Russia has been accused of arming the pro-Russian rebels who are suspected of shooting down the plane.

A train carrying the bodies of some of the victims of flight MH17

As a result, the EU has agreed to impose sanctions on more Russian officials.

A senior US intelligence official confirmed that evidence suggests the Russian government was not directly involved, but it "created the conditions" for the plane to be shot down by mistake, most likely by the rebels.

The official added that Moscow is still supplying separatists with tanks and rocket launchers in the aftermath of the crash.

President Barack Obama visited the Dutch embassy in Washington on Tuesday and wrote in a condolence book: "We will not rest until we are certain that justice is done."

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Major Airlines Suspend Flights To Israel

Major airlines from the US, Europe and Canada are refusing to fly to and from Israel after a rocket fired from Gaza landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have suspended services between the US and Israel for at least 24 hours, while Germany's Lufthansa and Air France also suspended flights.

Low-fare airline EasyJet is also scrapping its scheduled services for today. The airline said it will "review its operations to and from Israel on a day-by-day basis".

It comes as Israel's military confirmed two of its soldiers died overnight in further fighting, raising the Israeli death toll to 29 soldiers and two civilians.

The US flight bans followed advice from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which stopped American flights from travelling to Tel Aviv, citing the "potentially hazardous situation" caused by the ongoing conflict in the region.

An Israeli military excavator searches for tunnels on the border with Gaza

The European Aviation Safety Agency has recommended that all European airlines avoid Tel Aviv "until further notice".

Greece's Aegean Airlines and Air Canada have also grounded flights to Tel Aviv.

But a spokeswoman for British Airways said the airline's twice-daily service from London to Tel Aviv would continue.

"We are continuing to operate to Israel as normal," the spokeswoman said.

Israel's Transportation Ministry has urged the airlines to reconsider their decision, insisting that the nation's busiest air hub was secure.

"Ben Gurion Airport is safe and completely guarded and there is no reason whatsoever that American companies would stop their flights and hand terror a prize," it said in a statement.

The flight cancellations came as Israel continued its offensive in Gaza, where the death toll has passed 620 people.

Israel launched a major offensive on July 8 in Gaza to stop Hamas militants firing rockets over the border.

United Airlines planes seen at Newark International Airport

Palestinian militants have fired more than 2,000 rockets towards Israel, but many have been intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defence system.

More than 600 Palestinians, many of them women and children, have been killed in the conflict.

Ceasefire negotiations have been taking place in Egypt, where US Secretary of State John Kerry has been meeting with regional leaders.

The Palestinian leadership says it has proposed a ceasefire plan to mediators aimed at halting the violence.

On Tuesday, Mr Kerry spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and to Qatari and Turkish foreign ministers after meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi for two hours.

"The Egyptians have provided a framework and a forum for them to be able to come to the table to have a serious discussion together with other factions of the Palestinians," Mr Kerry said.

"Hamas has a fundamental choice to make and it is a choice that will have a profound impact for the people of Gaza."

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MH17 Crash: Rebels Hand Over Black Boxes

Rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine have handed over the black boxes from flight MH17 to Malaysian experts.

As an armed rebel placed the boxes on a desk, Aleksander Borodai told a packed room at the headquarters of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic: "Here they are, the black boxes."

Both sides then signed a document, which the rebel leader said was to finalise the hand over.

The two flight data recorders from the downed Malaysia Airlines plane are "in good condition", according to Malaysian Colonel Mohamed Sakri, who received them from Mr Borodai.

"I can see that the black boxes are intact, although a bit damaged," he said, extending his thanks to "His Excellency Mr Borodai" for passing them on.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Volodymyr Groysman, has claimed that pro-Russian rebels have tampered with the black boxes.

It was announced at the press conference that a ceasefire within a six mile (10km) radius around the crash site would be put in place so international investigators can access the area where the jet was shot down last week with 298 people on board.

Borodai (L) hands over the black boxes to Col Sakri (R)

Fighting between pro-Ukrainian groups and pro-Russian separatists flared in Donetsk on Monday, some 40 miles (60km) from the crash site.

Health officials said four people were killed in the clashes, while rebel military commander Igor Strelkov said up to 12 of his men died in the fighting.

Russia has called for the investigation into the shooting down of the plane to be led by the "international community" and not Ukraine, after yet more accusations were traded between Moscow and Kiev over who is to blame.

A satellite image of the wreckage of MH17. Pic: DigitalGlobe

Moscow's ambassador to Malaysia, Lyudmila Vorobyeva, told a news conference the probe should be led by the United Nation's International Civil Aviation Organisation.

"The reason for that is that the rebels, as we understand do not trust the government of Kiev," said Ms Vorobyeva.

"That's why they were reluctant to hand over anything (including) the black boxes to the Ukrainian side because they are afraid the evidence would be tampered with."

Part of the wreckage of flight MH17, which had 298 people on board

She added that audio recordings of rebels admitting shooting down the plane are "fake" and a "compilation of different conversations".

As the diplomatic fallout from the disaster continues, EU foreign ministers will meet on Tuesday to discuss imposing new sanctions on Russia.

On Monday, a train carrying the remains of 282 of the victims left the station where it was being guarded by armed separatists.

The refrigerated wagons were filmed leaving Torez, and will be taken to the city of Kharkiv, some 186 miles (300km) northwest.

There they will be handed over to Dutch officials before being flown to the Netherlands.

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Israel's Aerial Assault On Gaza Continues

Israel continued its aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip overnight as the death toll from the 15-day conflict passed 560 people, including nearly 100 children.

Three Palestinians have been killed in three separate airstrikes, raising the Palestinian toll to 539 since the assault began on July 8.

Two more Israeli soldiers have also been confirmed dead after fighting on Monday, with another three seriously wounded overnight.

The latest deaths raise the Israeli toll to 29 people.

The continued violence comes as diplomatic efforts intensify in Cairo, where US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to meet Egyptian leaders today.

Mr Kerry will host meetings with leaders including Egypt's president Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

Smoke rises during heavy Israeli bombing in Gaza

He plans to stay in Cairo until Wednesday morning, and currently has no scheduled end for his regional trip, which could include talks with Qatari officials.

As Mr Kerry arrived in Cairo, the US confirmed it would provide $47m (£27m) in humanitarian aid for Gaza.

"We will work to see if there is some way to not only arrive at a ceasefire of some kind, but to get to a discussion about the underlying issues," Mr Kerry said at the start of a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday.

"Nothing will be resolved by any ceasefire, temporary or long, without really getting to those issues at some point, and that's what we need to do."

A senior State Department official said Mr Kerry's diplomatic efforts are aimed at achieving "a cessation of hostilities as soon as possible".

Mr Ban is scheduled to fly to Israel today for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also to meet Palestinian officials in the West Bank.

But Israel has signalled it is not willing to reach a truce before it knocks out militant infrastructure in Gaza, including networks of tunnels along the Gaza frontier.

Israeli tanks stand outside the northern Gaza Strip

"This is not the time to talk of a ceasefire," Israel's communications minister Gilad Erdan said.

"We must complete the mission, and the mission cannot end until the threat of the tunnels is removed."

The Israeli army said four of its soldiers died on Monday during a battle with Hamas fighters trying to sneak into the country through cross-border tunnels.

Four other people were killed and 70 were injured at the al Aqsa hospital when an Israeli tank shell struck the hospital, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

The International Committee of the Red Cross issued a statement condemning the attack "in the strongest terms".

It said the hospital came under direct fire at least four times and life-saving equipment had been severely damaged.

The Israeli military has accused Hamas militants of firing rockets from the grounds of Gaza hospitals and seeking refuge there.

Israel's aerial bombardment has so far resulted in an exodus of more than 100,000 Palestinian civilians, according to the United Nations.

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Gunmen Kill 21 Egyptian Soldiers At Checkpoint

Gunmen have killed 21 Egyptian soldiers at a checkpoint near the border with Libya in one of the biggest assaults on Egypt's security forces in years.

Egyptian security officials described the attackers as "smugglers", but an army spokesman said on his Facebook page that "terrorists" - the term authorities use to describe Islamist militants - were behind the attack.

However, no one has claimed responsibility for the killings.

An ammunitions depot at the El-Farafrah post was blown up by a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) in an exchange of fire, killing the soldiers and wounding four others. Two of the gunmen died during the assault.

The military said two booby-trapped vehicles were used in the attack, and bomb experts have defused the explosives.

The attack took place in Wadi al Gadid, a desert area 390 miles (630km) west of Cairo, which borders both Libya and Sudan.

It was the second assault on the same checkpoint in less than three months.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi has repeatedly expressed concerns about militants who have stepped up attacks, mainly in the Sinai Peninsula bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip, on security forces since Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was toppled in July 2013.

Security officials claim militants operating in Libya, who have ambitions similar to the al Qaeda breakaway group ISIS that has seized large swathes of Iraq, are trying to forge ties with Sinai militants.

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Diplomatic Drive As Gaza Death Toll Rises

Fresh airstrikes, artillery shelling and gun battles overnight have killed 12 Palestinians and two more Israeli soldiers, as Israel intensifies its ground offensive in Gaza.

Heavy shelling east of Gaza City in the early hours killed at least five Palestinians, emergency spokesman Ashraf al Qudra said.

In one artillery hit in Shejaiya east of Gaza City, a woman, two children and the son of senior Hamas official Khalil al Hayya were killed, Mr Qudra said.

Earlier, tank fire killed a 56-year-old man in the southern city of Rafah.

An airstrike in Rafah killed three young men, all brothers, and wounded 10 more people, Mr Qudra said.

A wounded Palestinian is taken to a hospital in Gaza City

Hours later, another strike in Rafah killed two people, and a strike in the central Strip killed a 29-year-old man.

Israel's army also said two more soldiers had been killed in fighting in and around the Gaza Strip.

Bar Rahav, 21, and Bnaya Rubel, 20, were killed respectively by an anti-tank missile and in a gun battle, both late on Saturday.

The Israeli military said on Saturday it had hit more than 2,500 targets in Gaza, including 1,100 rocket launchers, during the 12 days of fighting.

The latest deaths bring the toll to over 350 Palestinians, and seven Israelis, who have died since Israel's Operation Protective Edge began on July 8.

Israel has stepped up its bombardment of the Gaza Strip

On Saturday, two Israeli soldiers were killed by Hamas militants who entered the Jewish state through a tunnel from Gaza.

An army statement said the two dead soldiers, Sergeant Adar Bersano, 20 and Sergeant Adar Bersano, 45, died fighting militants who infiltrated Israel's border through a concealed tunnel from the centre of the Strip.

The army earlier said the pair had been wounded in a clash with Hamas, who had been "aiming to carry out a lethal attack in one of the nearby communities".

It claimed the militants had fired machine guns and an anti-tank missile at the soldiers, who returned fire, "killing a terrorist and forcing the rest back into Gaza".

As the fighting rages, UN chief Ban Ki-moon is due to arrive in Qatar today as part of renewed ceasefire efforts.

Last week, Hamas rejected an Egyptian call to both sides to halt hostilities, saying it first wants guarantees that Israel and Egypt will significantly ease their border blockade of Gaza.

Hamas has also sought involvement of other countries, such as Qatar, in any ceasefire negotiations, saying Egypt cannot be the sole mediator.

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