Gaza Fighters 'Seize Israeli Soldier' As 'Ceasefire' Ends
Israeli forces are searching for a soldier believed captured, as a 72-hour truce with Hamas in Gaza collapsed just hours after it had begun.
The soldier, named as Hadar Goldin, 23, disappeared when Israeli forces trying to destroy a suspected militant tunnel were attacked, Israel's military said.
Two soldiers died in the firefight in southern Gaza Strip at 06:30 GMT.
The Gaza health ministry said dozens were killed by Israeli shelling in the area shortly after the incident.
In 2006 Palestinian revolutionaries captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and held him for five years.
He was released in November 2011 in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas has not confirmed or denied capturing a soldier.
Lt Goldin's father Simha said in a statement that the family was "confident that Israel will do everything to bring Hadar back home".
Some 1,460 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died in the latest conflict and 63 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
The ceasefire had been brokered by the US and UN to give civilians a reprieve from the violence, and had been seen as an unforeseen breakthrough after days of diplomatic deadlock.
The White House as usual blamed Hamas for the ceasefire's breakdown, describing the revolutionary group's attack on the Israeli soldiers as "barbaric".
"This is an outrageous action and we look to the rest of the world to join us in condemning it," Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken told MSNBC.
Also on Friday, Palestinian and Israeli delegations arrived in Cairo, Egypt, with the hope of negotiating a longer-term cessation of hostilities, but Egyptian officials said the talks had now been postponed.
The clashes in Rafah came just four hours into what was meant be a 72-hour ceasefire, reinforcing just how difficult it is to get truces to last beyond a very short time. Both sides will have expected such violations.
While it held, much of Gaza was relatively quiet compared to the violence in recent weeks. The streets were slowly returning back to life as shops began to reopen. People had been taking the opportunity to stock up on much-needed supplies.
A steady stream of cars headed towards evacuated neighborhoods close to the Israeli border. People here want to see if their houses are still standing and to try to salvage what's left of their belongings.
The news that an Israeli soldier appears to have been captured by Palestinian militants in Gaza has caused deep concern in Israel.
Military service is compulsory for most people and the sense of solidarity and sympathy with the armed forces is strong; the case of Gilad Shalit was a national trauma.
The government's readiness to make deals like the one that was struck in Sgt Shalit's case is both a strength and a weakness. It reassures Israeli soldiers and their families that the country will do what it can to secure their release.
But critics both at home and abroad say the policy makes Israel vulnerable to future attacks. Its enemies, including Hamas and Hezbollah, know that Israel is prepared to pay a very high price for the freedom of its citizens.
During the morning life appeared to be returning to some kind of normality in Gaza, with many Palestinians heading towards heavily shelled areas to see if their homes were still intact.
But the Gaza health ministry reported that at least 35 Palestinians were killed and up to 100 injured in an Israeli attack near the southern town of Rafah after the ceasefire began.
A senior Israeli official said Hamas had breached the ceasefire and Israel's response would be "crushing".
Earlier, Israeli foreign affairs spokesman Yigal Palmor told the BBC that Israeli forces had retaliated after being attacked in what seemed like a planned move by Hamas.
"There was a full-scale attack on an Israeli unit and this unit had to respond," he said.
"After it responded, Hamas started firing rockets on Israeli territory again and therefore the fighting resumed all along the line.
But Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoun said: "The Israelis are the ones who breached the ceasefire, and the Palestinian resistance acted in a way that ensures its right of self-defence."
Another Hamas official said the announcement of the soldier's capture was "a justification for Israel retreating from the truth and a cover-up for massacres".
Palestinian media reported that Hamas had called for a "day of anger" across the West Bank.
Conflict objectives
Israel's aims
Israel says its overall objective is to stop Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza.
The stated objective of its ground offensive, which started on 18 July, is to destroy Hamas' tunnels into Israel.
On Thursday, Israel's military said tunnel destruction was almost done, and could be completed in the coming days.
Hamas' aims
Hamas has demanded that Israel stop "all aggression" in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza.
Hamas wants a long-term ceasefire along the lines of the one signed in 2012.
It wants Israel to recognize the recently formed Palestinian unity government.
Most importantly, Hamas has said any ceasefire must be tied to the lifting of the economic blockade of Gaza.
Are you in Gaza or Israel? Have you been affected by the violence? You can send us your views and experiences by emailing panafnewswire@yahoo.com using the subject line "Gaza Israel'.
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| The IDF is still bombing Gaza after over three weeks of massacres against civilians. |
The soldier, named as Hadar Goldin, 23, disappeared when Israeli forces trying to destroy a suspected militant tunnel were attacked, Israel's military said.
Two soldiers died in the firefight in southern Gaza Strip at 06:30 GMT.
The Gaza health ministry said dozens were killed by Israeli shelling in the area shortly after the incident.
In 2006 Palestinian revolutionaries captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and held him for five years.
He was released in November 2011 in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas has not confirmed or denied capturing a soldier.
Lt Goldin's father Simha said in a statement that the family was "confident that Israel will do everything to bring Hadar back home".
Some 1,460 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have died in the latest conflict and 63 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
The ceasefire had been brokered by the US and UN to give civilians a reprieve from the violence, and had been seen as an unforeseen breakthrough after days of diplomatic deadlock.
The White House as usual blamed Hamas for the ceasefire's breakdown, describing the revolutionary group's attack on the Israeli soldiers as "barbaric".
"This is an outrageous action and we look to the rest of the world to join us in condemning it," Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken told MSNBC.
Also on Friday, Palestinian and Israeli delegations arrived in Cairo, Egypt, with the hope of negotiating a longer-term cessation of hostilities, but Egyptian officials said the talks had now been postponed.
The clashes in Rafah came just four hours into what was meant be a 72-hour ceasefire, reinforcing just how difficult it is to get truces to last beyond a very short time. Both sides will have expected such violations.
While it held, much of Gaza was relatively quiet compared to the violence in recent weeks. The streets were slowly returning back to life as shops began to reopen. People had been taking the opportunity to stock up on much-needed supplies.
A steady stream of cars headed towards evacuated neighborhoods close to the Israeli border. People here want to see if their houses are still standing and to try to salvage what's left of their belongings.
The news that an Israeli soldier appears to have been captured by Palestinian militants in Gaza has caused deep concern in Israel.
Military service is compulsory for most people and the sense of solidarity and sympathy with the armed forces is strong; the case of Gilad Shalit was a national trauma.
The government's readiness to make deals like the one that was struck in Sgt Shalit's case is both a strength and a weakness. It reassures Israeli soldiers and their families that the country will do what it can to secure their release.
But critics both at home and abroad say the policy makes Israel vulnerable to future attacks. Its enemies, including Hamas and Hezbollah, know that Israel is prepared to pay a very high price for the freedom of its citizens.
During the morning life appeared to be returning to some kind of normality in Gaza, with many Palestinians heading towards heavily shelled areas to see if their homes were still intact.
But the Gaza health ministry reported that at least 35 Palestinians were killed and up to 100 injured in an Israeli attack near the southern town of Rafah after the ceasefire began.
A senior Israeli official said Hamas had breached the ceasefire and Israel's response would be "crushing".
Earlier, Israeli foreign affairs spokesman Yigal Palmor told the BBC that Israeli forces had retaliated after being attacked in what seemed like a planned move by Hamas.
"There was a full-scale attack on an Israeli unit and this unit had to respond," he said.
"After it responded, Hamas started firing rockets on Israeli territory again and therefore the fighting resumed all along the line.
But Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoun said: "The Israelis are the ones who breached the ceasefire, and the Palestinian resistance acted in a way that ensures its right of self-defence."
Another Hamas official said the announcement of the soldier's capture was "a justification for Israel retreating from the truth and a cover-up for massacres".
Palestinian media reported that Hamas had called for a "day of anger" across the West Bank.
Conflict objectives
Israel's aims
Israel says its overall objective is to stop Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza.
The stated objective of its ground offensive, which started on 18 July, is to destroy Hamas' tunnels into Israel.
On Thursday, Israel's military said tunnel destruction was almost done, and could be completed in the coming days.
Hamas' aims
Hamas has demanded that Israel stop "all aggression" in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza.
Hamas wants a long-term ceasefire along the lines of the one signed in 2012.
It wants Israel to recognize the recently formed Palestinian unity government.
Most importantly, Hamas has said any ceasefire must be tied to the lifting of the economic blockade of Gaza.
Are you in Gaza or Israel? Have you been affected by the violence? You can send us your views and experiences by emailing panafnewswire@yahoo.com using the subject line "Gaza Israel'.
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