US Ebola Doctor Gives Serum To Fellow Patient

A US doctor infected with ebola has insisted the only available dose of an experimental serum go to a fellow American patient in Liberia, as one of the countries worst hit by the disease declared a state of emergency.

Dr Kent Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol are both in a "stable but grave condition", according to an aid organisation, although his condition deteriorated slightly overnight.

The North Carolina-based Samaritan's Purse charity said in a statement: "Yesterday, an experimental serum arrived in the country, but there was only enough for one person. Dr Brantly asked that it be given to Nancy Writebol."

The charity also said Dr Brantly, 33, had been given a unit of blood from a 14-year-old boy who survived ebola because of the American's medical care.

The virus has been fatal in 60% of cases in this outbreak

It is hoped the boy may have developed antibodies that could help Dr Brantly fight off the infection, which has no vaccine or specific treatment.

The ebola outbreak is the worst in history and has killed 729 people in West Africa, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which announced a $100m plan to tackle the disease.

In Sierra Leone, which accounts for around a third of all deaths from the disease, President Ernest Bai Koroma declared a state of emergency, saying ebola "poses as an extraordinary challenge".

Officials at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, said they expected one of the ill Americans to be transferred to its facility in the coming days, though they declined to say which one.

Health workers' clothing and equipment must be sterilised

Dr Brantly's wife and two children returned to their home in Texas before he displayed symptoms of the disease in the Liberian capital Monrovia.

The husband and fellow missionary of 59-year-old Ms Writebol is only allowed to visit her through a window, or while wearing a protective suit.

US health authorities on Thursday recommended against non-essential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three African nations worst affected by the outbreak.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan plans to meet the presidents of the affected nations on Friday in Conakry, Guinea.

Sierra Leone health workers carry the body of an ebola victim

She said they need to take the response "to a new level".

On Thursday, Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency and called in troops to quarantine ebola victims, a day after Liberia also introduced sweeping measures.

The Sierra Leone football squad has been barred from travelling to the Seychelles for an African Cup of Nations qualifier because of fears over the virus.

So far, one US citizen has died from ebola, in Nigeria, after he took a flight from Liberia.

Hospitals in the UK are taking precautions for any ebola outbreak

That case is prompting the International Civil Aviation Organization to consider introducing passenger screenings for the disease.

Two other American volunteers remain in isolation in West Africa after coming into contact with an ebola sufferer, who later died.

The pair - working for America's Peace Corps movement - have not displayed symptoms but are under observation.

The Peace Corps said on Wednesday it was evacuating 340 volunteers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

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Commonwealth Games Athlete Tested For Ebola

An athlete competing for Sierra Leone at the Commonwealth Games has revealed he spent four days in isolation over fears he had brought the deadly ebola disease into the UK.

Moses Sesay, who came to Scotland to compete in the cycling time trial, fell ill last week and was admitted to hospital.

"I felt tired and listless," he said. "All the doctors were in special suits to treat me. They dressed like I had ebola. I was very scared."

Tests eventually gave Sesay the all-clear and he was allowed to compete in the event, ultimately finishing last.

Medical staff treating ebola patients have to wear special protective suits

But the 32-year-old said he and his team-mates are worried about returning to their homeland once the Games are over.

More than 220 people have died in Sierra Leone after contracting the disease - more than any other country.

"All of us are scared about going back," Sesay told the Mirror.

"We have a three-month visa in our passports and, if I have the opportunity, I will stay here until this ends."

More than 700 people have died after contracting the disease in Africa

Health officials have been warned to be on the lookout for any unexplained illness in people returning from countries where ebola is present.

One union leader said British border, customs and immigration staff feel unprepared to deal with potential cases of the disease, although the Home Office said there was a "well-established plan to deal with different scenarios".

Dr Colin Ramsay, from Health Protection Scotland, said patients could be screened for ebola if they show symptoms including a fever, headache or sore throat, especially if they have travelled from an affected area within the last three weeks.

Putting such patients in isolation is a "standard precaution" and not unusual, he added.

Games organisers stressed the athletes' village has not been affected

A spokesman for Glasgow 2014 stressed there is "no ebola in the athletes' village", while Dr Ramsay said there is nothing to suggest there is any risk to sports stars competing in Glasgow.

"People have a misconception about ebola," he said.

"It is spread, primarily, through contact with bodily fluids, not casual conflict, so it wouldn't be sufficient just to share a house with someone.

"There has to have been close contact to have a substantial risk of being infected with the disease."

Meanwhile, a US doctor infected with ebola has insisted the only available dose of an experimental serum go to a fellow American patient in Liberia.

Dr Kent Brantly asked for the unit of blood to go to missionary Nancy Writebol, as the World Health Organisation announced a $100m (£59.2m) plan to tackle the outbreak.

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Nato 'Unprepared' For Possible Russia Attack

Nato is badly prepared for a potential attack by Russia on a member state, a parliamentary report has warned.

An influential group of MPs says that the recent conflict in Ukraine has revealed "serious deficiencies" in Nato's preparedness to counter threats.

The report - by the Commons Defence Committee - suggests a "radical reform" is needed.

It suggests that the risk of a conventional military assault by Russia on a Nato member state remains "low".

Pro-Russia separatists ride a tank in Donetsk

But the report says the risk of an unconventional attack using the kind of "ambiguous warfare" tactics deployed by President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine is "more substantial".

The 28-nation alliance should urgently undertake a "radical reform" to prepare for either eventuality, said the report.

This would include establishing a continuous presence of Nato troops in its "vulnerable" Baltic members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

It would mean pre-positioning military equipment in the three former Soviet states, said the cross-party panel of MPs.

The report comes after the downing of MH17 in Ukraine

"Dramatic" improvements should also be made to existing rapid reaction forces and large-scale military exercises should be conducted.

And the MPs said that Nato should reconsider its Article 5 commitment for all members to come to the aid of any member which is attacked.

They said Article 5 needed refining to make clear that this includes countering unconventional threats such as cyber-attacks and irregular militia.

The committee also called on the UK Government - which hosts a Nato summit in south Wales in September - to show leadership.

Russia has already been accused of fencing of South Ossetia

The UK was urged to invest in analysis and expertise on Russia, which has become "seriously degraded" over recent years.

The MPs urged David Cameron and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon to open the summit by declaring a commitment on defence spending.

They want the UK to maintain spending at or above the 2% of GDP target set by Nato for its member states.

"Nato is currently not well-prepared for a Russian threat against a Nato member state," said the report.

"A Russian unconventional attack, using asymmetric tactics - the latest term for this is 'ambiguous warfare' - designed to slip below Nato's response threshold, would be particularly difficult to counter.

"And the challenges, which Nato faces in deterring, or mounting an adequate response to, such an attack poses a fundamental risk to Nato's credibility."

Committee chair Rory Stewart said: "The risk of attack by Russia on a Nato member state, whilst still small, is significant. We are not convinced that Nato is ready for this threat."

Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said: "We have not seen the report by the UK Defence Select Committee but we'll study it carefully once it's published."

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Israeli Army Mobilises 16,000 Extra Troops

Large explosions lit up the sky above Gaza City overnight, as Israel mobilised 16,000 more reservists to the conflict.

The sound of explosions and planes flying overhead were heard across the city, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The continued bombardment came as Israel announced it was mobilising thousands of extra troops.

"The army has issued 16,000 additional mobilisation orders to allow troops on the ground to rest, which takes the total number of reservists to 86,000," said the spokeswoman.

Israel says it is close to destroying all Hamas cross-border attack tunnels

Israel also revealed it was days away from achieving its core goal of destroying all Islamist guerrilla cross-border attack tunnels.

It has ordered its ground forces to focus on locating and destroying a warren of tunnels with which Hamas has menaced its southern towns and army bases.

Major-General Sami Turgeman, chief of Israeli forces in Gaza, said they were "but a few days away from destroying all the attack tunnels".

The army said 32 of the secret passages had been found so far and half of them blown up.

Three Israeli soldiers were killed on Wednesday by a booby trap detonated as they uncovered a tunnel shaft, the army said.

The Israeli military said it would also continue to target Hamas command centres, rocket launchers and weapons arsenals.

Meanwhile Hamas' military leader Mohammed Deif has said the militants would not cease fire until their demands are met.

Hamas has demanded that Israel and Egypt lift a border blockade they imposed on Gaza after Hamas seized the territory in 2007.

More than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed in three weeks of fighting, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Fifty-two Israeli soldiers and three civilians have died on the Israeli side.

The United Nations says civilians make up more than three-fourths of the dead and a majority of the wounded.

 More follows...

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Gaza Conflict 'Is Like An Endless Horror Film'

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent, in Gaza City

"Stay safe," people keep telling us.

"Where?" I always reply.

One of the harsh realities of this war is that there seem to be no red lines or boundaries.

People here are locked inside a tiny, cramped territory while the Israeli army bombs their homes, businesses, schools and hospitals.

A Palestinian mourns during a funeral in Khan Younis, southern Gaza

Some 23,160 buildings have been damaged in the past three weeks, including 560 houses that were specifically targeted, according to the Health Ministry.

Most of the time there is no electricity, so at night you can only listen to what's happening around you in the dark.

Parents watch as their children die, children watch as their parents die - it's like a horror film.

The hardest part is how to convey the emotion and explain the events you are witnessing to people who live thousands of miles away and have likely never been to Gaza.

Smoke rises from the Gaza Strip after an Israeli shelling

How do you do the story justice, remaining calm and fair?

Journalists are obsessed with the idea of balance, but what throws us off is that this is not an equal battle.

Israel says it is defending its civilians from rockets indiscriminately fired at them and underground tunnels used to infiltrate and kill soldiers.

Hamas says it is defending their civilians from an Israeli imposed siege that has strangled Gaza and affects every part of daily life.

Smoke trails from rockets fired towards Israel from the Gaza Strip

The sad reality is that this war will likely end with Israel keeping Gaza under a blockade, which means Hamas will continue to resist - if not with rockets then tunnels, if not with tunnels then something else.

And if it's not Hamas it will be another group. The violence will continue as long as there is a cause.

Covering this war has been just as devastating as in 2008/9, the last time Israel launched a ground assault and I was inside Gaza.

Back then, people felt they were paying the price for a battle between Hamas and Israel.

This time, after seven years of living under siege, many sound hopeless and support Hamas (they call it "the resistance") because they feel there is no other way to end the misery they are living in.

My parents tell me stories of going on holiday to Gaza when they were young.

It has a beautiful coastline and when the drones and jets are quiet you can hear the waves crashing on the beach.

But the last few years of the blockade have been especially tough and Gaza is now a ghetto of 1.8 million people with many living in refugee camps surrounded by bombed out buildings.

Yesterday, at a UN school turned shelter, a woman asked me where I was from.

"Egypt," I replied, expecting her to lecture me about the country's complicity in the siege and how much she hates Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi.

But instead she said in a strong, sad voice: "Take me back with you."

It's simple really: people in Gaza, like elsewhere in the world, just want a chance to live with dignity.

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Strikes Kill 43 In Gaza As UN School Hit

At least 43 people have been killed in Gaza, including many at a UN school, during another night of heavy shelling, medics said.

Dozens of people, including a young child, were killed in the early hours of Wednesday, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas entered its 23rd day.

The Jabalia refugee camp, used as a shelter for those displaced by the war, was shelled shortly after 5.30am (0230 GMT), a UN official said.

A light streak trail is seen as a rocket is launched from northern Gaza

One of the shells hit a UN school being used as a shelter for those displaced by fighting, killing 20 people, emergency services spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said.

The shell hit the Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) girls' school, Mr Al-Qidra  said.

A UN official confirmed the shelling, saying it hit a bathroom and two classrooms in the school.

Earlier, thick black smoke could be seen rising from blazing fuel tanks at Gaza's only power station which Israel knocked out on Tuesday.

Officials said the plant could be out of action for a year.

Meanwhile, Israel's Channel Two TV said progress was being made to achieve a deal in Cairo, where a Palestinian delegation was expected to arrive for discussions.

More follows... 

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Russia Accused As Ossetia 'Fenced Off'

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent

As the crisis in Ukraine continues, Russia has been accused of attempting to exert pressure elsewhere in its former sphere of influence.

Russian border guards are constructing a vast "security fence" across disputed territory in the former Soviet state of Georgia, establishing a de facto border around the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Georgia says the move is a creeping annexation of its territory and a violation of its sovereignty.

Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war over the region in 2008.

Russia is one of the few countries to recognise South Ossetia as an independent state and supports it both economically and militarily - most other countries and the government in Tbilisi consider it to be part of Georgia.

Amiran Gugutishvili whose orchard has been fenced off

Construction of the fence has accelerated over the last twelve months, as Georgia moved towards signing a free trade deal with the European Union.

The fence divides villages, and in some cases houses, separating families from their livelihoods and neighbours.

We met 66-year-old Amerin Gugutishvili in the village of Gugutiankari, where he has lived all his life.

He showed us his beloved home, which was burned out in the 2008 war.

"Every time I come here I lose five years of my life," he said, wiping tears from his eyes with his cap.

But after the war, came the fence.

One day he found Russian troops fencing off the orchard which had been his main source of income for the last three decades.

They told him the land was in South Ossetia now, and that he would be arrested if he tried to cross.

"They were with automatic weapons," he told us.

"What could I say? I don't have an automatic rifle.

"I am just an ordinary person, they are with rifles."

So now he has no choice but to watch the fruit rot on the trees.

David Vanishvili, 80, who finds himself in South Ossetia

It's too dangerous to rebuild the house so close to the fence, you can be detained for going too close, so they're living in an old school with three other families.

It is immaculately tidy and Amiran's wife, Tina, has tried to make it as nice as she can, but she is ashamed that they are living like this.

"We worked a lot and now we are trapped," he explained. "They left us without the house, they burned it."

"Without the house and without the orchard," Tina continued. "They fenced off our orchard."

"In winter it's very cold, there's no wood."

She showed us a picture of her five-year-old grandchild, Andriy.

"He's a lovely boy," she said, "My happy light, my star, everything, the only happiness, the rest is war."

In another village, on the far side of the fence, we found an 80-year-old man.

David Vanishvili was born in what he thought was Georgia in 1934, he doesn't understand how he's ended up in South Ossetia, behind layers of razor wire.

"I'm like a prisoner here," he told us through the fence, "Can't go here, can't go there."

"They said it's South Ossetia now."

He told us his pension is paid in the Georgian currency, lari, but the shops over there only take Russian rubles.

"I can't buy bread, salt, they don't accept Georgian money - how can I live like that?"

The EU has a monitoring mission here, deployed as part of the ceasefire agreement in 2008.

Georgia and South Ossetia (borders are approximate and some are disputed)

They patrol and record the ongoing construction of the fence, and the impact it's having on the lives of people here, but their powers are strictly limited.

The monitors are unarmed and have no access to the breakaway region so cannot travel to the far side of the fence.

Both the US and Nato have condemned the construction of the fence, but Russia says South Ossetia has the "unassailable right" to take such measures to "ensure the security of its borders and its citizens."

South Ossetia delegated control of its border to Russia in 2009, citing the absence of its own border force.

Georgia says all this has little to do with the sovereignty or otherwise of South Ossetia, and everything to do with Russia projecting its power, and maintaining a military presence on its border.

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Hamas Leader's House 'Hit By Israeli Missile'

The home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has been hit by an Israeli missile, during the heaviest night of bombardment in three weeks of fighting.

Israeli aircraft, tanks and navy gunboats pounded targets in Gaza City that were symbols of Hamas government control.

One strike hit the home of the top Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, and others hit government offices and the headquarters of the Hamas satellite TV station Al Aqsa.

Missiles strike a building in Gaza

An Israeli aircraft fired a missile at Mr Haniyeh's house early on Tuesday causing damage but no casualties, Gaza's Interior Ministry said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman had no information on the report but was checking for details.

Mr Haniyeh's son confirmed the strike on his Facebook page and added that the house of the former Hamas Gaza prime minister was empty.

The Al Aqsa TV headquaters after an attack by a shell

Hamas said Al-Aqsa TV was also targeted but the station continued to broadcast.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel must be ready for a "prolonged" military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Israel started its offensive against Gaza on July 8, saying its aim was to halt rocket attacks by Hamas and its allies.

Mr Netanyahu, however indicated  in a TV speech on Monday night that he was widening the objectives, saying that the only solution would be a complete demilitarisation of the territory.

A young girl is treated my medics for her injuries

As night fell over Gaza City, army flares illuminated the sky and the sound of intense shelling could be heard.

The military warned thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes in areas around Gaza City - usually the prelude to major army strikes.

A number of rockets fired from Gaza were launched toward various regions in southern and central Israel, including the Tel Aviv area.

At least one of the rockets was intercepted by the Iron Dome system. 

An Israeli soldier hurt in a mortar attack is stretchered away by comrades

Earlier, Israel accused Hamas of misfiring two rockets - one of which struck Gaza's main hospital and the other a refugee camp, killing nine children.

A Palestinian official said at least 10 people in total were killed in the strike on the camp, and a further 46 injured.

However, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) denied responsibility for the attacks and said it had not been operating in the area.

Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, an Israeli army spokesman, said claims the IDF was responsible were "ridiculous".

He told told Sky News: "The Israeli Defence Forces did not carry out any strikes in that area."

Benjamin Netanyahu says Israelis need to prepare for a prolonged operation

The IDF also tweeted: "Since the beginning of the operation #IDF has documented approximately 200 rockets & mortars that landed short within #Gaza."

A Palestinian health official said the overall Gaza death toll was 1,110. Israel said nine soldiers had been killed bringing the total killed to 53 soldiers, along with two civilians and a Thai national.

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US Images Show Rockets 'Fired From Russia'

The US has released satellite images that it claims show rockets have been fired at Ukraine from within Russia.

The images, which come from the US Director of National Intelligence and have not been independently verified, also purport to show that heavy artillery for pro-Russian separatists has crossed the border.

Their release appears to be a part of Barack Obama's push to hold Russia accountable for its activities in Ukraine - and persuade European allies to apply harsher sanctions on Moscow.

Officials say the images prove heavy weapons were fired between July 21 and July 26 - after the July 17 downing of the Malaysia Airlines plane that killed all 298 people on board.

Moscow has denied allegations of involvement in eastern Ukraine, claiming the US is conducting "an unrelenting campaign of slander against Russia, ever more relying on open lies".            

US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday, reportedly urging him to stop the flow of weapons from Russia into Ukraine.

One image shows dozens of craters around a Ukrainian military unit and rockets that can travel more than seven miles.

The accompanying memo said another image provides evidence that Russian forces have "fired across the border at Ukrainian military forces and that Russian-backed separatists have used heavy artillery provided by Russia in attacks on Ukrainian forces from inside Ukraine".

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UN Calls For 'Unconditional' Gaza Ceasefire

The United Nations Security Council has called for "an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza following an emergency session in New York.

The council adopted a presidential statement - one step below a legally-binding resolution - urging Israel and Hamas "to accept and fully implement the humanitarian ceasefire into the Eid period and beyond".

Several temporary truces have been observed and broken on a weekend when the Palestinian death toll topped 1,000.

Some 43 Israeli soldiers have also been killed since their military operation began on July 8 - while three civilians have died from rocket fire into Israel.

Barack Obama called Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to press for an immediate truce.

The present conflict between Israel and Hamas began on July 8

The US President said Israel had a right to defend itself - but reiterated his country's "serious and growing concern" about the loss of life on both sides and the "worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza".

Hamas fired more rockets at Israel overnight, despite claims it had accepted a UN request for a 24-hour extension of a humanitarian ceasefire.

The temporary break - which Israel has not formally agreed - started at 2pm (noon UK time) yesterday ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid.

Sky News' Sherine Tadros, reporting from Gaza City, said more than 160,000 civilians had sought refuge in dozens of temporary shelters and were suffering from major food and water shortages.

As well as calling for an immediate truce, the Security Council statement set out a longer-term aim of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, "with secure and recognised borders".

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Airline Chief: Some Flight Paths Are Unsafe

A Malaysia Airlines official has called for the creation of a new body to decide which flight paths are safe following the MH17 crash in Ukraine.

Hugh Dunleavy, the company's commercial director, said airlines could no longer rely on decisions made by existing industry bodies on which volatile regions are secure to fly over.

Despite flying over a conflict zone, MH17's flight path had been approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the Ukrainian authorities and the European airspace service provider Eurocontrol, Mr Dunleavy said.

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur is believed to have been brought down by a missile fired by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

This map shows the flight path of MH17 before it crashed

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he called for airlines and existing aviation bodies to "review existing processes and set more stringent standards".

"Ultimately, we need one body to be the arbiter of where we can fly," he said.

"This tragedy has taught us that despite following the guidelines and advice set out by the governing bodies, the skies above certain territories are simply not safe.

"No longer should airlines bear the responsibility of deeming flight paths safe or unsafe. We are businesses, not agencies.

"And it is not reasonable for us to assess all of the issues going on in all of the regions in the world, and determine a safe flight path.

"For the sake of passenger and crew safety we need to insist on a higher level of authority."

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, meanwhile, has joined calls for Russia to be stripped of hosting the 2018 World Cup as part of tougher sanctions.

He said it was "unthinkable" at present that the tournament could go ahead in the country blamed by the West for supplying arms to the separatist rebels.

President Putin is coming under increasing international pressure

Football's world governing body Fifa this week ruled out calls from some German politicians for Russia to be boycotted, insisting the tournament could be "a force for good".

But Mr Clegg told The Sunday Times that allowing it to go ahead without a change of course by President Vladimir Putin would make the world look "so weak and so insincere" in its condemnation of Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for the rebels.

"If there's one thing that Vladimir Putin cares about, as far as I can see, it's his sense of status," he said.

"Maybe reminding him that you can't retain the same status in the world if you ignore the rest of the world, maybe that will have some effect on his thinking."

Russia has reacted angrily to additional sanctions imposed by the EU, saying they would hamper co-operation on security issues and undermine the fight against terrorism and organised crime.

Russia's foreign ministry also accused the US of contributing to the conflict in Ukraine through its support for the pro-Western government in Kiev.

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Israel Extends Gaza Ceasefire For 24 Hours

Israel has extended its humanitarian truce in Gaza by 24 hours - but says it will retaliate if Hamas fires rockets from the territory.

An unnamed Israeli official said the ceasefire had been prolonged until midnight (10pm UK time) on Sunday at the United Nations' request, though troops would continue to demolish Hamas tunnels.

Hamas immediately rejected the idea.

"No humanitarian ceasefire is valid without Israeli tanks withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and without residents being able to return to their homes and ambulances carrying bodies being able to freely move around in Gaza," spokesman Fawzi Barhum said.

Some 132 bodies were pulled from rubble in Gaza during Saturday's truce

Hamas resumed rocket fire towards Israel after a 12-hour break in hostilities on Saturday. 

Some 132 bodies were reportedly pulled from the rubble in Gaza during the lull, while the pause allowed Palestinians to stock up on supplies.

The resumption of rocket fire by Hamas led police to clear a protest in Tel Aviv, where thousands of Israelis were demonstrating against their government's military operation.

Anti-war protests also took place in London, Paris, Frankfurt and other cities.

Israelis demonstrated against their government's military operation

Meanwhile, world leaders continue their attempt to thrash out a wider ceasefire in Paris.

More than 1,000 Palestinians have now died since Israel launched a military operation 19 days ago.

The Israeli army say a soldier was killed on Sunday by a shell fired from Gaza, taking to 43 the number of troops to die in combat. Three civilians have also been killed by rocket fire into Israel.

On Friday Israel rejected a seven-day ceasefire backed by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

A top Pentagon intelligence official has warned that the destruction of Hamas would only lead to something more dangerous taking its place, as he offered a grim portrait of a period of enduring regional conflict.

The remarks by Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, the outgoing head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, came as Israeli ministers signalled that a comprehensive deal to end the 20-day-old conflict in the Gaza Strip appeared remote.

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