Russia Faces Sanctions Over MH17 Crash

David Cameron, the German Chancellor and French President have agreed the EU should be ready to impose new sanctions on Russia.

EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue when they meet on Tuesday for the first time since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was apparently shot down over eastern Ukraine.

All 298 people on board the Malaysian Airlines jet, including 10 Britons, were killed when it came down near the village of Grabovo, in eastern Ukraine last Thursday.

A Downing Street spokesman said the Prime Minister talked about the need to secure access to the crash site with Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande in a call on Sunday morning.

Pro-Russian rebels have been accused of interfering with the site

"They agreed President Putin has an important role to play by persuading the separatists to grant access and to work with the international community to ensure that all that needs to be done can be done as soon as possible.

"They also agreed that the EU must reconsider its approach to Russia and that foreign ministers should be ready to impose further sanctions on Russia when they meet on Tuesday."

The Prime Minister was expected to call Russian President Vladimir Putin later.

In a Sunday Times piece published this morning, Mr Cameron had called for a "moment of action" in response to the disaster.

"The growing weight of evidence points to a clear conclusion: that MH17 was blown out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile fired from a rebel-held area," he wrote.

Flowers left outside the Dutch embassy in Kiev

"If it is the case, then we must be clear what it means: this is a direct result of Russia destabilising a sovereign state, violating its territorial integrity, backing thuggish militias, and training and arming them."

Ukrainian government officials have accused Russia of supplying the rebels with sophisticated military equipment and have claimed the Buk missile launcher that is blamed for shooting down MH17 has been relocated across the border into Russia.

Mr Cameron had also criticised some European partners for not being willing to act against Moscow. 

"For too long, there has been a reluctance on the part of too many European countries to face up to the implications of what is happening in eastern Ukraine," he wrote.

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Israel Minister Accuses Hamas Of 'Self-Genocide'

An Israeli minister has defended the ground offensive in Gaza and accused Hamas of "self-genocide" by using women and children as human shields.

Naftali Bennett, appearing on Dermot Murnaghan's programme, insisted Israel would continue to retaliate to rocket strikes from Gaza.

The Israeli economic minister said: "The only difference between us and Hamas in Gaza is that they are deliberately sending their women and children to stand next to missile launchers in order for them to get killed, and then they cry to the world that they are being killed.

"This is cynical and cowardly. Israel has all the right to defend itself.

Israel began a ground offensive in Gaza on Thursday

"They started this, they are continuing this, this can all go away the moment they disarm themselves and stop shooting us.

"Hamas is placing missiles in homes, in living rooms, in schools, in children's rooms, this is their modus operandi.

"If Hamas was shooting missiles at your home, from within a school, what would you do?

"Would you just wait for those missiles to kill you? We fight back.

"Sometimes yes in wars there is collateral damage, but I'm not going to ask forgiveness for defending my four children that had rockets shot at home this very morning.

"What Hamas is doing is effectively self-genocide."

Since the start of fighting nearly two weeks ago, 378 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 3,000 wounded, according to Gaza Health Ministry official Ashraf al Kidra.

A total of five Israeli soldiers have also been killed since the ground offensive began on Thursday. Two Israeli citizens have also been killed in rocket attacks.

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Bodies In The Street As Gazans Flee Shelling

At least 50 people have been killed and many more wounded after the Israeli military shelled a Gaza neighbourhood.

Thousands of Palestinians fled Shaja'iya in northeast Gaza - some by foot and others in the backs of trucks or sitting on the hoods of packed cars - as the attack began.

Sky's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Shaja'iya, said Palestinians leaving the area were describing it as a "massacre".

"This is a very heavily populated residential area," she said.

"We have seen hundreds upon hundreds of people leaving and they are not carrying bags packed with clothes, they are not carrying anything. They are literally running for their lives." 

An injured Palestinian woman at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City

Gaza officials said 35,000 people had fled their homes on Sunday.

Israeli tanks were reported to be firing into the neighbourhood while drones and fighter jets could be heard overhead.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said: "Two days ago, residents of Shaja'iya received recorded messages to evacuate the area in order to protect their lives."

But Sherine Tadros said there is nowhere for those fleeing the assault to run to.

An Apache helicopter fires a missile into Gaza City

"They are leaving this area but of course there is nowhere safe here," she said.

"You expect to see all these people flee across a border, but they can't cross a border. Gaza is completely locked off."

Hamas accepted a proposal - secured by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) - for a three-hour humanitarian ceasefire on Sunday.

But an Israeli military spokesman said the ground offensive had resumed after it was breached by Hamas fighters.

Smoke rises after air strikes in Shaja'iya, northeast Gaza

Earlier, Naftali Bennett, Israeli economic minister, told Sky News Hamas was "cynically" using women and children as human shields.

"They only difference between us and Hamas in Gaza is that they are deliberately sending their women and children to stand next to missile launchers in order for them to get killed and then they cry to the world that they are being killed," he said.

"This is cynical and cowardly. Israel has all the right to defend itself.

"They started this, they are continuing this, this can all go away the moment they disarm themselves and stop shooting us."

Health officials claim 50 people have been killed in the shelling

The Palestinian leadership slammed the "massacre" in Shaja'iya, while the Arab League claimed Israel had committed "war crimes".

The Israeli military has said it has hit more than 2,500 targets in Gaza, including 1,100 rocket launchers, after nearly two weeks of fighting.

It has said around 70 militants have been killed and another 13 brought to Israel for questioning.

It claims militants have fired more than 1,760 rockets at Israeli cities since July 8.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has travelled to Qatar to try to restart ceasefire efforts.

Last week, Hamas rejected an Egyptian-brokered truce - saying it would only agree if Israel and Egypt significantly eased the border blockade of Gaza.

Since the start of the fighting, More than 400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,600 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Two Israeli soldiers died in the fighting this weekend, while another three were killed when the ground offensive began on Thursday. Two Israeli civilians have also been killed in rocket attacks.

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Rebels Load MH17 Crash Bodies Onto Trains

Armed pro-Russian separatists have reportedly forced emergency workers to hand over all the bodies recovered from the Malaysia Airlines crash site.

International monitors and Ukrainian officials said victims' remains were taken away and loaded onto refrigerator wagons on trains at Torez station which were said to be headed for rebel-held Donetsk later.

Kiev's emergency officials said 196 bodies have been recovered so far, as separatists said the jet's two black box voice and data recorders had been found and taken to the eastern Ukrainian city.

Monitors examine the bodies loaded onto a refrigerator wagon on a train

It comes as footage emerged showing evidence that one flight recorder had been recovered at the scene, two days ago.

In addition, Ukrainian security services released audio recordings of what they claimed were rebels talking about trying to hide the black boxes at Moscow's request.

World leaders have piled pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the armed Moscow-backed rebels from preventing investigators from fully accessing the MH17 crash site.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Europe and the West must "fundamentally change our approach" unless Mr Putin altered his stance, amid claims Russia-backed rebels were involved.

International monitors and journalists are confronted by armed separatists

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond accused Russia of "dragging its heels" on Sky's Murnaghan programme and said the country risked becoming a "pariah" state.

The prospect of further sanctions against Russia was raised as public anger and concerns grow over claims of looting and evidence being tampered with.

The US has condemned the lack of security at the scene as an "affront to all those who lost loved ones and to the dignity the victims deserve", while Malaysia has attacked the failure to preserve evidence as a "betrayal of the lives lost".

The Ukraine government has accused pro-Russian separatists of removing bodies from the crash scene and debris, and attempting to destroy evidence.

A message left among floral tributes outside the Dutch Embassy in Kiev

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said the government was "angry" and "furious" over allegations bodies were being dragged around the site.

Sky presenter Colin Brazier, at the crash scene, said: "There is an area about 50ft in diameter, completely charred, with a group of the people in overalls picking up body parts and putting them into plastic bags.

"I've been walking around, coming across body parts all the time, many of them charred beyond recognition.

"Men, women and children indeterminate, frankly, you can't tell. Very often you are looking at charred spines, that's all that's left.

A still showing evidence that a flight recorder was found, two days ago

"There are flies. It is hot. There are stretchers lying by the roadside. They have not been used because many of the bodies were dismembered by the forces of the impact.

"It is a truly macabre, horrific situation. There is a degree of anarchy and lawlessness.

"You feel the need for an overarching body to get a grip and sort this dreadful situation out."

All 298 passengers including 10 Britons and 80 children were killed when flight MH17 was brought down near Grabovo, Donetsk, where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

Kiev and Moscow have blamed each other for the air disaster.

Malaysia Airlines earlier announced it is retiring the flight number of the MH17 Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur route and replacing it with MH19.

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Rebels Accused Of Taking Bodies From Wreckage

Pro-Russian separatists have been accused of removing 38 bodies from the Malaysia Airlines crash scene and attempting to destroy evidence at the site.

Ukraine emergency officials remove a body from the crash scene

The Ukraine government said "terrorists, with the help of Russia, are trying to destroy evidence of international crimes", adding it had obtained data which showed bodies had been taken to a morgue in Donetsk.

However, Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay, at the scene, said there were reports rebels had moved bodies on Friday, but body parts were now officially being removed by Ukraine emergency ministry staff.

Ukraine's Security Council said 18sq km of the 25sq km had been explored and 186 bodies found.

The fresh claims came amid discussions between the two factions over the creation of a "security zone" around the crash scene following allegations of looting and evidence being compromised, without a deal being reached.

Concerns have been raised by Malaysia about the investigation into the disaster as a team of international observers complained of being confronted by aggressive armed rebels, blocking their access to the crash site for a second consecutive day.

Ramsay said: "I know in the past shots have been fired as warnings."

Security monitors speak to a separatist at the crash scene

Critically, the monitors have been unable to speak to anyone about the whereabouts of the jet's two black box voice and data recorders.

Ukraine said they had not been handed over to Kiev and it had no information about them.

Alexander Borodai, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, denied rebels had shot down the plane, or found the black boxes, or removed bodies. But he said body parts which had fallen into people's properties had been taken away.

Russia's foreign ministry urged rebels to grant monitors access to the site, while Malaysia's transport minister Liow Tiong Lai on Saturday attacked the failure to preserve evidence a "betrayal of the lives lost"

The debris was scattered over a wide area

Reports of looting and valuables such as credit cards and cash being taken from victims' bodies and luggage were "gaining currency", said Sky's Michelle Clifford, in Donetsk.

"It may be part of a narrative to discredit the rebels," she said. "But, I have just spoken to a contact I trust and he said with his own eyes he saw the rebels taking money and valuables from luggage at the site."

Some 298 people, including 10 Britons and 80 children were killed when flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was brought down near Grabovo, Donetsk, where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the disaster.

A children's toy lies among the passengers' possessions

Hugh Dunleavy, Malaysia Airlines's commercial director, defended the aircraft's flightpath and told Sky News up until now there had been no incident involving a civilian plane flying over the war zone.

Reports suggested pro-Russian separatist commander Igor Strelkov had made bizarre claims bodies at the crash site had been there for days.

However, postings on his VK.com account, Russia's version of Facebook, showed he actually questioned this: "Version with a plane full of corpses, exciting, of course, but somehow can not (sic) see sense."

British victims Richard Mayne, Ben Pocock, Glenn Thomas and Liam Sweeney

:: The Foreign Office has set up a helpline for anyone concerned.  Text MH17 to +447860010026, or call 020 7008 1500. Malaysia Airlines's emergency line is 00 6 037 884 1234.

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Family Of Six Killed On Doomed Passenger Plane

A family of six are among the almost 300 victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, it has emerged.

Tambi Jiee, 49, his wife Ariza Ghazalee, 47, and their four children, Mohd Afif, 19, Mohd Afzal, 17, Marsha Azmeena, 15, and Mohd Afruz, 13, were travelling on the Boeing 777, Malaysia's The Star newspaper reported.

The Facebook page of Afruz Tambi, one of a family of six who died

The cover photo on 13-year-old Afruz's Facebook profile is a drawing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March.

The family were returning from Kazakhstan where Mr Tambi, who worked for Shell, had been based, the paper added.

Irene (L), Sherryl (C) and Darryl Gunawan were a family who were killed

Some of the greatest minds in the fight against HIV and Aids were also on the jet, which was shot down over Ukraine on Thursday.

They were on their way to the International Aids Society (IAS) summit in Melbourne, Australia.

One of those who is understood to have been on board was Dr Joep Lange, a well-known researcher from the Netherlands.

"If this is the case then the HIV/Aids movement has truly lost a giant," the IAS said.

Dr Lange is believed to have been with partner Jacqueline van Tongeren

Among the 283 passengers and 15 Malaysia Airlines cabin crew on board were 192 Dutch nationals, 44 Malaysians, 27 Australians, 12 Indonesians, ten Britons, four Germans, four Belgians, three Filipinos, one Canadian, one New Zealander, one American, one person from Hong Kong and an Irish national.

Tributes have been paid to US citizen Quinn Lucas Schansman. Pic: Facebook

In a bizarre twist of fate, flight attendant Sajid Singh 41, swapped flights to fly on MH17 - months after his wife swapped off the doomed MH370, his his father Jijar Singh told The Malaysian Insider.

Kaylene Mann, from Queensland, Australia, who lost her brother and sister-in-law in the flight which disappeared on March 8, 2014, is now mourning the loss of her stepdaughter Maree Rizk and her husband Albert, who were returning to their Melbourne home after a month-long European holiday.

Pim De Kuijer was on his way to the Aids conference. Pic: Facebook

Another of the victims is Karlijn Keijzer , a doctoral student at Indiana University in the US.

The Irish passenger was married mother-of-two Edel Mahady, according to Sky sources.

Ms Mahady was originally from Dublin but had been living in Australia for the last 20 years.

Albert Rizk and his wife Maree were returning from Europe. Pic: Facebook

She was returning to Australia via Kuala Lumpur after visiting faimly in Ireland.

The Star newspaper also reported that Malaysian PM Najib Razak's step-grandmother was among the passengers aboard the fateful flight.

Elaine Teoh was travelling with her boyfriend Emiel Mahler. Pic: Facebook

Sailor and businessman Nick Norris, 68, was also heading back from a break away in Europe with his three grandchildren, Milo Maslin, 12, Evie Maslin, 10, and Otis Maslin eight, Perth Now reported.

Nun Philomene Tiernan, from Sydney, was reported to be among the victims

The Australian media also reported a much-loved nun, Philomene Tiernan, from Sydney, Toorak college teacher Frankie Davison and her husband Liam, student Elaine Teoh and her Dutch boyfriend Emiel Mahler, Canberra mother-of-two Liliane Derden and security consultant Marco Grippeling, from Melbourne, among the victims.

Cor Pan posted a picture of the airliner on Facebook. Pic: Facebook

Young Dutchman Cor Pan, who is also believed to have died, posted a picture of the jetliner on Facebook, minutes before he boarded it, writing: "If it should disappear, this is what it looks like."

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World Leaders Wait For MH17 Smoking Gun

Ironically what the crisis needs now is a smoking gun - quite literally.

Whilst America has stopped short of specifically blaming Russia  for the loss of nearly 300 lives on flight MH17, it has accused Moscow of fomenting the turmoil in the region. 

President Obama and other world leaders are holding fire until they have absolute proof that separatists fired missiles given to them by President Putin.

And that's why this is so complex diplomatically. 

The separatists deny firing at the Malaysia Airlines plane and Russia says Ukraine is responsible for the tragedy by ramping up its attempts to wipe out the rebels in the east of the country.

And until there is real proof this crisis will remain a murky mess.

Unless the international community takes bold steps which go beyond sanctions against President Putin, convinced his hands have blood on them, there will be no justice.

It would seem that President Putin is playing the defiant innocent, he won't even admit backing the separatists of eastern Ukraine.

Russia is accused of supplying pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine

Weeks of strident anti-Ukraine propaganda have now been replaced now by unusual silence for one so bullish and vocal.

This is the biggest crisis between East and West since the end of the Cold War.

But if the West is to truly act decisively then it needs proof of who fired the missiles and that will come from a full investigation of the crime scene – and that appears to be being hampered by the rebels. 

Representatives from the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) have been denied access to the crash sight. 

There are reports of looting and that raises question marks about whether it will be too late by the time international investigators are given full control of the scene.

The US says it will wait for the facts about what has happened, but it can't wait too long for fear of being accused of letting down the victims of and their families.   

The downing of a passenger jet – whether accidental or deliberate – is like a bad dream.  

But if Moscow's fingermarks are found on the missiles then what may follow is the stuff of nightmares. 

The question is whether Russia will step away from the rebels, settling instead for its gains in Crimea. If it does a serious diplomatic crisis can be averted.

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Israeli Troops Fight Hamas Militants On Border

Israeli troops have clashed with Hamas militants on the Gaza border, with reports of some heavy fighting inside Israeli territory.

The military wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al Qassam Brigades, said some of its fighters were "behind enemy lines" and were involved in gun battles with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) near the Gaza border fence.

In a statement, it said: "The Qassam Brigades carried out an operation behind enemy lines.

"Heavy fighting is ongoing with the forces of the occupation."

Israeli soldiers were injured during firefights in the north of the Gaza Strip and security alerts were issued on parts of Highway Four in southern Israel on Saturday, according to Ynetnews.

A statement from the ISraeli military said two soldiers were treated in hospital.

"Earlier today, terrorists attempted to execute an attack against Israelis. The attack was foiled by an IDF force," it said.

"Several terrorists infiltrated into Israel from the central Gaza Strip through a tunnel.

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have continued into a 12th day

"They were aiming to carry out a lethal attack in one of the nearby communities when they came upon an IDF force patrolling the vicinity."

On Saturday, the Israeli military said troops discovered 13 tunnels into Israel in the first 24 hours of its ground operation in Gaza.

It also said it has hit 2,350 targets in Gaza, including 1,100 rocket launchers, in 12 days of fighting.

Engineers are concentrating on a 1.5-mile buffer zone and are looking to destroy tunnels dug since the last major fighting in 2012.

Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said: "We have struck hard on the two main strategic assets of Hamas: the rockets and these tunnels."

Ashraf al Kidra, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman, said airstrikes on Friday night raised the death toll in the offensive to more than 310 Palestinians.

One Israeli soldier and one civilian have also been killed over the past 12 days.

Israel began the ground operation on Thursday after rockets were fired into Israel. It has said the offensive could last for up to two weeks.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called for an "urgent" truce and renewed support for the Egyptian truce proposal.

The proposal was previously rejected by Hamas.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to leave for the Middle East later on Saturday to help mediate in the Gaza conflict.

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Ukraine-Russia Row Over Who 'Shot Down' Plane

Moscow has hit back after the Kiev government claimed pro-Russian separatists shot down a passenger plane, killing all 298 people on board, including 189 Dutch and nine Britons.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur at an altitude of 33,000ft (10,000m) when contact was lost on Thursday afternoon in eastern Ukraine, close to the border with Russia.

It came down near the village of Grabovo, Donetsk in an area where Ukrainian forces have been fighting the rebels.

An emergency worker at the scene of the crash

An adviser to Kiev's interior ministry said the Boeing 777 was hit by a Buk ground-to-air missile and its president Petro Poroshenko called it an "act of terrorism".

But the Russian defence ministry reportedly pointed the finger at its neighbour, saying it picked up radar activity from a Ukrainian Buk missile system south of Donetsk when the airliner came down.

Glenn Thomas was among the victims of the tragedy

Sky's Katie Stallard said: "That doesn't correlate with the geography. This was a plane flying over territory that the Ukrainian government would perceive as friendly. Territory that they control.

"It is a slightly counterintuitive suggestion that they would perceive that aircraft as a threat when it is heading away from their friendly airspace and towards the Russian border."

Flames rise from wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines jet

Separatist leader Alexander Borodai said Ukrainian government forces were responsible, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "The state over whose territory this occurred bears responsibility."

However, a US official said Washington strongly suspected it was brought down by a surface-to-air missile fired by rebels.

And the Ukrainian security council claimed no missiles had been fired from the armouries of its armed forces.

Mr Putin has called for a ceasefire between the warring sides in the months-long conflict.

Among the British victims of the crash were Glenn Thomas and Richard Mayne. Newcastle United fans John Alder and Liam Sweeney, who were travelling to see their football team play in New Zealand, also died, according to reports.

Flight MH17 taking off at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands

British Prime Minister David Cameron called the catastrophe "an absolutely appalling, shocking, horrific incident" and if the jet was shot down, those responsible "must be brought to account".

The cockpit and one of the turbines were found over half a mile apart, and residents said the tail was six miles away, indicating the aircraft most likely broke up before hitting the ground.

Many of the bodies strewn across the fields were largely intact - some of them were still strapped into their plane seats. People who live in the area have described seeing bodies falling through the sky.

The last known location of flight MH17

Pro-Russian separatists said they found one of the "black box" recorders and rescue workers have recovered a second flight recorder.

There were 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. Among the victims were three infants.

Britain has joined the US and other countries in calling for an international probe into the disaster and American Vice-President Joe Biden said the jet appeared to have been deliberately "blown out of the sky".

Armed Russian separatists inspect the wreckage

Stallard said Igor Strelkov, the commander of the pro-Russian Donetsk People's Republic, appeared to have boasted about the incident on social media.

In one deleted message recovered by Sky News, he allegedly wrote: "We warned you not to fly over our sky."

The wreckage was scattered over a wide area

Ukraine's security service also released what it claimed was a recording of an intercepted phone call between two Russian military intelligence officers, discussing the downing of the plane.

Malaysia Airlines, still reeling from the loss of flight MH370, has said the route taken by flight MH17 had been declared safe by civil aviation authorities.

A distressed woman waits for information in Kuala Lumpur

However, it has offered all passengers booked on any route before July 26 a full refund if they do not want to travel.

:: Malaysia Airlines has set up an emergency line for worried relatives: 00 6 037 884 1234.

The Foreign Office helpline is 0207 008 1500.

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Israel Ready To Expand Gaza Ground Assault

Israel's military is ready for a "significant expansion" of the Gaza ground offensive that has already claimed at least 28 lives.

The offensive began on Thursday night with the aim of destroying the weapons arsenal, infrastructure and underground tunnels used by Hamas, Israeli officials claimed.

An Israeli soldier and at least 27 Palestinians - including a baby, two children and a 70-year-old woman - have already been killed in the operation, according to Palestinian officials.

An Israeli Apache attack helicopter shoots a missile over the Gaza Strip

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: "My instructions are to prepare for the possibility of significantly widening the ground operation, and the military is preparing accordingly."

Mr Netanyahu said a ground assault was the only way to infiltrate Hamas' underground network.

The operation and killings prompted Pope Francis to phone both Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to call for an immediate ceasefire.

Smoke billows in Gaza after an air strike on Friday

On Friday lunchtime the Israeli Defence Forces reported they had "engaged and killed 17 terrorists".

Their tweet continued: "13 other terrorists surrendered to us and were taken for questioning.

"We have also targeted 21 rocket launchers & 4 tunnels. Our forces are continuing to operate with precision in order to achieve their goals."

Israel confirmed 20-year-old Sgt Eitan Barak had been "killed fighting Hamas terrorists". The country's media is investigating the possibility he was a victim of so-called friendly fire.

Sgt Eitan Barak, killed in fighting overnight. Pic: Israeli Defence Force

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called the ground offensive "foolish", adding that Israel would suffer "dreadful consequences".

"Netanyahu is killing our children and will pay the price," he said. "The ground invasion doesn't frighten us and the occupation army will sink in Gaza's mud."

Israel claimed 50 rockets were fired from Gaza overnight - 25 slamming into its territory.

Those injured in explosions and fighting are arriving at hospitals in Gaza

Israeli tanks and troops moved into Gaza following a 10-day campaign of more than 2,000 airstrikes that had failed to halt Hamas rocket fire on Israeli cities.

It is the first major Israeli ground offensive in Gaza in just over five years.

The army has confirmed that a draft of 18,000 additional reserve soldiers has been authorised by the government on top of the 30,000 already deployed.     

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires towards the Gaza Strip

Mr Netanyahu's chief spokesman Mark Regev told Sky News the decision to launch the offensive had not been taken "lightly" but that action needed to be taken to "protect our citizens".

He said the chance of a truce is now very unlikely "because Hamas rejected the ceasefire proposal supported by Egypt".

The ground campaign followed a brief truce on Thursday in which Israel held fire to allow Gazans to stock up on food and other necessities.

Israel's anti-missile defence system in action on Friday

Some 264 Palestinians have been killed since fighting began 11 days ago, with another 2,000 injured, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

Figures provided by the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights show that civilians account for more than 80% of the victims of Israel's assault since July 8.

Israel has confirmed two of its citizens have died.

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