· Partial seven-hour Israeli ceasefire began at 10am (8am BST)
· Ground operations to continue in Rafa, Israeli military says
· Move follows outcry from US, UN and others at new school attack
· Ban Ki-Moon calls attack moral outrage and a criminal act
9.48am BST
Israels foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has suggested that control of Gaza should be passed from the Palestinian Authority to the UN, much like took place in East Timor and Kosovo, the Israeli newspaper *Haaretz* reports on its live blog:
Everyone is asking, what happens after the operation ends? Suppose Israel defeats Hamas. There are a few options. International control of Gaza, by the UN, should certainly be considered.
We saw it works quite well there It requires an agreement between us and the Palestinian Authority. It doesnt require consent from the UN, just from the parties involved Israel and the PA.
9.29am BST
According to AFP, this mornings post-ceasefire strike on Gaza, aimed at a house in the beachfront Shati refugee camp, killed a child and injured 30 people.9.17am BST
My colleague *Harriet Sherwood*, who is in Jerusalem, sends this about Israels possible plans once the current assault is over:In an interview with Army Radio this morning, Tzipi Livni, a member of the security cabinet, said Israel should consider building an underground fence around Gaza to counter the threat from tunnels.The conflict would not end with destroying the network of cross-border tunnels, she said. We will have to create either an underground barrier, which is a primitive but effective [solution], costly but worth the cost, or alternatively, technological measures, which may be less outmoded and could be effective.
9.11am BST
David Cameron has been equivocating a bit over his response to yesterdays Israeli strike on a UN school in Gaza, saying Ban Ki-Moon was correct to describe the attack as a moral outrage and a criminal act but declining to endorse the language himself.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast Cameron who was yesterday criticised by the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, for failing to openly condemn Israels actions in Gaza was asked about Bans language. Cameron said:
I think the UN is right to speak out in the way that it has, because international law is very clear that there must not be the targeting of civilians or the targeting of schools if that is what has happened.The UN as the international body is right to speak out in the way it has.
The UN has spoken very clearly and I think they are right to speak very clearly...
Im not an international lawyer, so thats up to international lawyers. But international law is very, very clear that the use of force always has to be proportionate and civilians should not be targeted.
We obviously do think it is appalling the loss of life that there has been. From the start, though, we have also made the point that if the Hamas rocket attacks on Israel stop then that would be probably the fastest way to stop this conflict.
8.54am BST
*Jason Burke*, who is in Gaza City, sends this about the so far very limited impact of todays Israeli ceasefire:
The unilateral ceasefire declared by the Israelis met with a cool reaction in Gaza this morning. There was little sign of the sudden activity in the streets that Fridays agreed truce with Hamas had brought. Fishing boats stayed in the port. Few people ventured out. Bombing and shelling in and around Gaza City had continued overnight with rockets fired by Hamas towards Israel in the early morning.
This is unilateral. There is no guarantee from the Israelis. I hope it holds but well see, said Hossam Bkair, 20, who had left his home to get his hair cut.
8.50am BST
Reports of a strike on a house in Shati Camp in #Gaza 15 mins after ceasefire. At least 15 injured. Details still coming in.
More information about the apparent post-ceasefire strike on the house, from the correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers.8.46am BST
Palestinian officials have already accused Israel of breaching its own seven-hour ceasefire by bombing a house in Gaza City, Reuters reports.
The agency quoted a spokesman for Gazas health ministry, Ashraf Al-Qidra, as saying 15 people were wounded in the strike, mostly women and children. An Israeli military spokeswoman said she was checking the report, it added.
8.40am BST
As our latest Gaza news story notes, diplomatic efforts over Gaza continued in Cairo on Sunday, including representatives from Egypt, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as Middle East envoy Tony Blair and US special envoy Frank Lowenstein. There was, however, no Israeli representation, making any real breakthrough unlikely.
That said, a report in Ahram Online, the English-language arm of Egypts biggest newspaper, said there was some progress between the Palestinians and Egyptians:A senior figure from Islamic Jihad has said that the unified demands of the Palestinian delegation currently in Cairo for ceasefire talks were received positively by the Egyptian side on Sunday evening.
The demands include immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, end to blockade of the territory and opening all border crossings for people and merchandise and the release of all Palestinians detained by Israel in the West Bank since 12 June.
8.28am BST
Were now half an hour into the Israeli ceasefire, with no immediate word of any fighting. Hamas has expressed scepticism about the seven-hour halt, with a spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, saying:
We do not trust such a calm and call on our people to take caution.
8.02am BST
According to the latest tallies on the live blog of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz at least four people were killed in Gaza overnight, taking the overall toll to 1,807. The Israeli military attacked more than 20 targets, it adds, with two militants tunnels destroyed over the past 24 hours.
7.57am BST
On our comment site today we have a piece from *Paul Mason*, also from Channel 4 News, where he is economics editor. He has just returned from a week in Gaza, which he says is a place which should be given a chance to thrive. Heres an extract:
I have been to Muslim countries where there is deep conservatism, low education and suspicion of the west. This is not one of them. I constantly meet highly educated people who speak English; cheerful and friendly people which is amazing in itself, given the level of terror the night brings.The world is not so blessed with educated, resourceful people that it can afford to waste the lives of 1.8 million Palestinians behind the iron grilles and the concrete walls that delimit Gaza. I have lost track of how many times Ive met a young guy, 18 or 19 years old, proud not to be a fighter, a militant, or a duck-and-dive artist on the street. When you ask what his job is, the common answer is carpenter. Working with wood not metal or computer code is the limit of what the blockade has enabled the skilled manual worker here to achieve.
7.49am BST
Heading to #Mons #Belgium for #WW1 centenary, thinking of how outcome is still being felt across the #MiddleEast. #syria #gaza
Todays other major news story is the centenary of the start of the first world war. In this tweet Channel 4 Newss international editor notes the connection between the two.7.42am BST
Shortly before the ceasefire an Israeli airstrike killed a leader from the radical group Islamic Jihad in Gaza, AP reports.
The group, closely allied to Hamas, said Daniel Mansour, its commander in the northern part of Gaza, died when the strike hit his home just before dawn.
7.38am BST
still outgoing rockets early this morning from #gaza city.Some bombing strikes o/night. Israeli ceasefire to come into effect in 90 minutes.
This tweet from Jason Burke shows that attacks from both sides were continuing this morning in the run-up to the truce.7.38am BST
Heres the latest story on events in Gaza from my colleagues *Harriet Sherwood* and *Jason Burke*. In it, they note that diplomatic efforts towards a longer peace seem no more advanced:
Despite the truce, the international community is likely to be alarmed at Israel bypassing negotiations. Political leaders and senior diplomats have repeatedly stressed that the two sides must address and resolve underlying issues that led to the current conflict to break the cycle of violence.
Efforts to forge a truce resumed in Cairo on Sunday, with Middle East envoy Tony Blair and US special envoy Frank Lowenstein flying in, along with a Palestinian delegation which included representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the main militant groups in Gaza.
7.38am BST
Heres a brief summary of where things are, four weeks into the Gaza conflict:
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.
· Ground operations to continue in Rafa, Israeli military says
· Move follows outcry from US, UN and others at new school attack
· Ban Ki-Moon calls attack moral outrage and a criminal act
9.48am BST
Israels foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has suggested that control of Gaza should be passed from the Palestinian Authority to the UN, much like took place in East Timor and Kosovo, the Israeli newspaper *Haaretz* reports on its live blog:
Everyone is asking, what happens after the operation ends? Suppose Israel defeats Hamas. There are a few options. International control of Gaza, by the UN, should certainly be considered.
We saw it works quite well there It requires an agreement between us and the Palestinian Authority. It doesnt require consent from the UN, just from the parties involved Israel and the PA.
9.29am BST
According to AFP, this mornings post-ceasefire strike on Gaza, aimed at a house in the beachfront Shati refugee camp, killed a child and injured 30 people.9.17am BST
My colleague *Harriet Sherwood*, who is in Jerusalem, sends this about Israels possible plans once the current assault is over:In an interview with Army Radio this morning, Tzipi Livni, a member of the security cabinet, said Israel should consider building an underground fence around Gaza to counter the threat from tunnels.The conflict would not end with destroying the network of cross-border tunnels, she said. We will have to create either an underground barrier, which is a primitive but effective [solution], costly but worth the cost, or alternatively, technological measures, which may be less outmoded and could be effective.
9.11am BST
David Cameron has been equivocating a bit over his response to yesterdays Israeli strike on a UN school in Gaza, saying Ban Ki-Moon was correct to describe the attack as a moral outrage and a criminal act but declining to endorse the language himself.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast Cameron who was yesterday criticised by the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, for failing to openly condemn Israels actions in Gaza was asked about Bans language. Cameron said:
I think the UN is right to speak out in the way that it has, because international law is very clear that there must not be the targeting of civilians or the targeting of schools if that is what has happened.The UN as the international body is right to speak out in the way it has.
The UN has spoken very clearly and I think they are right to speak very clearly...
Im not an international lawyer, so thats up to international lawyers. But international law is very, very clear that the use of force always has to be proportionate and civilians should not be targeted.
We obviously do think it is appalling the loss of life that there has been. From the start, though, we have also made the point that if the Hamas rocket attacks on Israel stop then that would be probably the fastest way to stop this conflict.
8.54am BST
*Jason Burke*, who is in Gaza City, sends this about the so far very limited impact of todays Israeli ceasefire:
The unilateral ceasefire declared by the Israelis met with a cool reaction in Gaza this morning. There was little sign of the sudden activity in the streets that Fridays agreed truce with Hamas had brought. Fishing boats stayed in the port. Few people ventured out. Bombing and shelling in and around Gaza City had continued overnight with rockets fired by Hamas towards Israel in the early morning.
This is unilateral. There is no guarantee from the Israelis. I hope it holds but well see, said Hossam Bkair, 20, who had left his home to get his hair cut.
8.50am BST
Reports of a strike on a house in Shati Camp in #Gaza 15 mins after ceasefire. At least 15 injured. Details still coming in.
More information about the apparent post-ceasefire strike on the house, from the correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers.8.46am BST
Palestinian officials have already accused Israel of breaching its own seven-hour ceasefire by bombing a house in Gaza City, Reuters reports.
The agency quoted a spokesman for Gazas health ministry, Ashraf Al-Qidra, as saying 15 people were wounded in the strike, mostly women and children. An Israeli military spokeswoman said she was checking the report, it added.
8.40am BST
As our latest Gaza news story notes, diplomatic efforts over Gaza continued in Cairo on Sunday, including representatives from Egypt, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as Middle East envoy Tony Blair and US special envoy Frank Lowenstein. There was, however, no Israeli representation, making any real breakthrough unlikely.
That said, a report in Ahram Online, the English-language arm of Egypts biggest newspaper, said there was some progress between the Palestinians and Egyptians:A senior figure from Islamic Jihad has said that the unified demands of the Palestinian delegation currently in Cairo for ceasefire talks were received positively by the Egyptian side on Sunday evening.
The demands include immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, end to blockade of the territory and opening all border crossings for people and merchandise and the release of all Palestinians detained by Israel in the West Bank since 12 June.
8.28am BST
Were now half an hour into the Israeli ceasefire, with no immediate word of any fighting. Hamas has expressed scepticism about the seven-hour halt, with a spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, saying:
We do not trust such a calm and call on our people to take caution.
8.02am BST
According to the latest tallies on the live blog of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz at least four people were killed in Gaza overnight, taking the overall toll to 1,807. The Israeli military attacked more than 20 targets, it adds, with two militants tunnels destroyed over the past 24 hours.
7.57am BST
On our comment site today we have a piece from *Paul Mason*, also from Channel 4 News, where he is economics editor. He has just returned from a week in Gaza, which he says is a place which should be given a chance to thrive. Heres an extract:
I have been to Muslim countries where there is deep conservatism, low education and suspicion of the west. This is not one of them. I constantly meet highly educated people who speak English; cheerful and friendly people which is amazing in itself, given the level of terror the night brings.The world is not so blessed with educated, resourceful people that it can afford to waste the lives of 1.8 million Palestinians behind the iron grilles and the concrete walls that delimit Gaza. I have lost track of how many times Ive met a young guy, 18 or 19 years old, proud not to be a fighter, a militant, or a duck-and-dive artist on the street. When you ask what his job is, the common answer is carpenter. Working with wood not metal or computer code is the limit of what the blockade has enabled the skilled manual worker here to achieve.
7.49am BST
Heading to #Mons #Belgium for #WW1 centenary, thinking of how outcome is still being felt across the #MiddleEast. #syria #gaza
Todays other major news story is the centenary of the start of the first world war. In this tweet Channel 4 Newss international editor notes the connection between the two.7.42am BST
Shortly before the ceasefire an Israeli airstrike killed a leader from the radical group Islamic Jihad in Gaza, AP reports.
The group, closely allied to Hamas, said Daniel Mansour, its commander in the northern part of Gaza, died when the strike hit his home just before dawn.
7.38am BST
still outgoing rockets early this morning from #gaza city.Some bombing strikes o/night. Israeli ceasefire to come into effect in 90 minutes.
This tweet from Jason Burke shows that attacks from both sides were continuing this morning in the run-up to the truce.7.38am BST
Heres the latest story on events in Gaza from my colleagues *Harriet Sherwood* and *Jason Burke*. In it, they note that diplomatic efforts towards a longer peace seem no more advanced:
Despite the truce, the international community is likely to be alarmed at Israel bypassing negotiations. Political leaders and senior diplomats have repeatedly stressed that the two sides must address and resolve underlying issues that led to the current conflict to break the cycle of violence.
Efforts to forge a truce resumed in Cairo on Sunday, with Middle East envoy Tony Blair and US special envoy Frank Lowenstein flying in, along with a Palestinian delegation which included representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the main militant groups in Gaza.
7.38am BST
Heres a brief summary of where things are, four weeks into the Gaza conflict:
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.