Israel: Kidnapped Soldier 'Rumours Are Untrue'

Israel's UN ambassador has denied claims by Hamas that an Israeli soldier was abducted during ongoing fighting in Gaza.

Ambassador Ron Prosor described the claims, which prompted celebrations in the streets of Gaza City at the weekend, as "untrue".

"There is no kidnapped Israeli soldier and those rumours are untrue," he said.

Earlier, the armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas group said it had kidnapped the soldier, saying: "We have captured a Zionist soldier and the occupation has not admitted that."

A Palestinian man holds a child while fleeing the Shuja'iya district

A televised announcement by the group revealed what they claimed was the soldier's name and ID number, which led to hundreds of Gazans taking to the streets.

The denial comes as the UN Security Council opens urgent talks on the violence in Gaza, which claimed the lives of at least 100 Palestinians and 13 Israeli troops on Sunday.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas called for the emergency session and described the situation in Gaza as "intolerable" and the Israeli attacks a "crime against humanity".

Officials said 35,000 civilians fled the fighting on Sunday

The 15-member Council met as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held talks with leaders in the region and called on Israel to exercise "maximum restraint and do far more to protect civilians".

French Ambassador Gerard Araud said: "We have to know from the secretary-general the result of his efforts, his travels and whether there is any hope of moving forward to a ceasefire," as he headed into the Council meeting.

The UN Security Council again appealed for an immediate ceasefire at an emergency session on Sunday.

Israeli soldiers mourn during the funeral of colleague Bnaya Rubel in Holon

People fleeing Israeli shelling in the northeast Gazan neighbourhood of Shaja'iya at the weekend described it as a "massacre", with many women and children among the dead.

The bodies of 16 Palestinians were found in rubble following the continued airstrikes, according to medics.

The Israeli army said it had warned civilians to leave two days earlier.

Rubel, 20, was killed in Gaza on Saturday during Operation Protective Edge

Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson Peter Lerner claimed on Monday morning that 10 Hamas militants had been killed after gaining access to Israel through two tunnels in north Gaza.

Officials said 35,000 people fled the fighting in Gaza on Sunday as the artillery bombardment began.

"A heinous massacre has been committed against our people in the Gaza Strip this (Sunday) morning," said the Palestinian representative to the United Nations, Ryad Mansour.

Sagit Greenberg and two of her children mourn at the funeral of her husband

"There is no justification for this massacre committed against our people.

"Our people are extremely frustrated and fed up with the Security Council and the international community because they are not doing what they should be doing in order to stop this aggression against our people."

The Israeli government claimed Hamas was hiding behind the civilian population. 

Pro-Israel supporters rallied at Times Square, New York at the weekend

Spokesman Naftali Bennet said: "What Hamas is doing is effectively self genocide.

"They're, in a cowardly and cynical fashion, placing their women and children as shields, killing them, then coming to Sky News and other outlets and saying 'Israel is killing us'."

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

Pro-Palestine supporters protested against the conflict in Los Angeles

It says around 70 militants have been killed and another 13 brought to Israel for questioning after more than 1,760 rockets were fired at Israeli cities since July 8.

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 447 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,600 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

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