Fresh air strikes in Gaza as hunt for missing Israeli soldier continues

2014-08-02 35

Israeli air strikes have been lighting up the sky over the Gaza Strip early on Saturday morning.

The 72 hour ceasefire which began on Friday broke down quickly and violence returned to the streets of the enclave.

The southern town of Rafah bore the brunt of Israeli shelling on Friday with at least 60 deaths reported.

In the town of Khan Younis, the Red Crescent building was reportedly hit by an Israeli strike.

Earlier, Hamas accused Israel of breaking the ceasefire, which lasted less than two hours, but the Israeli Defense Forces said it was responding to rocket fire and the alleged kidnapping of an Israeli soldier.

Hamas claims it doesn’t know the whereabouts of missing Hadar Goldin and said he may have been killed during an ambush.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has released new footage of its troops inside the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli cabinet held a rare session on Friday after the start of the Jewish Sabbath to discuss the ongoing crisis.

The US has said it would work towards securing another ceasefire.

Gaza officials have said around 1,600 people have been killed since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge. At least 60 Israelis have also died as a result of the fighting.