Hamas announces new Gaza ceasefire

27 July 2014 Last updated at 12:44

Palestinian militant group Hamas has announced a 24-hour ceasefire after Israel ended an earlier truce amid continuing rocket fire from Gaza.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said the ceasefire would start from 14:00 local time (11:00 GMT).

A spokesman for the Israel military said the announcement was "an opportunity perhaps".

Some 1,060 Palestinians and 46 Israelis have died in recent hostilities.

Most of those killed in Gaza are civilians, Palestinian health officials say, while 43 soldiers and three civilians have died on the Israeli side.

'Incessant rocket fire'

On Saturday, Israel accepted a UN request for a 24-hour ceasefire until the end of Sunday, although it said ground forces would continue to destroy tunnels used by Hamas during the pause.

The Israeli ceasefire followed a 12-hour truce, observed by both sides on Saturday, which enabled Gaza residents to gather supplies and retrieve bodies buried under the rubble.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan, speaking from Beirut, confirmed the ceasefire. (We apologise for the poor sound quality.)

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The Hamas ceasefire would be "an opportunity perhaps" according to Col Peter Lerner from the Israel Defense Forces

However, the Israeli military announced on Sunday morning it had decided to resume its air, ground and naval raids on Gaza in response to "incessant rocket fire" from Hamas.

The militant group had initially rejected the Israeli offer, saying it would only halt rocket attacks once Israeli troops left Gaza and the displaced were allowed to return home.

But shortly after Israeli raids resumed, Hamas said it had decided to agree to a humanitarian truce.

"As a preparation for the end of Ramadan and in response to the UN mediation and also regarding our people's living circumstances, we have agreed with all Palestinian factions to give a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire starting from 14:00 on Sunday," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.

Correspondents in Gaza said loud explosions could be heard in several districts as Israeli forces resumed their air strikes. Palestinian eyewitnesses reported heavy shelling to the east of Gaza City.

Eight Palestinians have died in Sunday's attacks, according to Gazan health officials.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) earlier said at least 20 rockets had been launched toward Israel since Saturday night, despite the truce.

It added that a soldier was killed by mortar shell fired from Gaza early on Sunday morning.

Israel launched its military offensive on 8 July with the declared objective of stopping Hamas firing rockets from Gaza into Israel.

On 18 July, it extended operations with a ground offensive, saying it was necessary to destroy tunnels dug by militants to infiltrate Israel.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ed Miliband calls for public PMQs

27 July 2014 Last updated at 10:47

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Ed Miliband says he wants to "let the public into our politics".

The public should have their own version of Prime Minister's Questions, Labour leader Ed Miliband has said.

He told the BBC he was preparing a formal proposal calling for voters to be allowed to question the prime minister in the Palace of Westminster. MPs currently do so on Wednesdays.

Mr Miliband said it would bridge the "mile-wide" gulf between what people want and what they get from PMQs.

A spokesperson for the Commons' Speaker said the suggestion would be looked at.

'No' gimmick

Mr Miliband told the Andrew Marr Show he wanted to "let the public in to our politics" and promised he would not try to pack a potential audience with his own supporters.

"I think what we need is a public question time where regularly the prime minister submits himself or herself to questioning from members of the public in the Palace of Westminster on Wednesdays," he said.

"At the moment there are a few inches of glass that separates the public in the gallery from the House of Commons but there is a gulf a mile wide between the kind of politics people want and what Prime Minister's Questions offers."

Asked if the idea was a gimmick, Mr Miliband said: "No, it's serious."

Labour said the proposed "Public Question Time" would be held once a fortnight and possibly weekly in Parliament, if permitted by the Speaker.

Those asking questions "would be chosen by a method to ensure a wide representation of the country and political backgrounds".

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Ed Miliband: "It is true that there are elements of the press who really don't like me"

A spokesperson for House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said the Speaker would "look at Mr Miliband's suggestions with interest, when he receives them".

"Clearly, any changes would be a matter for the House," the spokesperson said.

'Photo opportunity'

During the interview, Mr Miliband also said he wanted to "find ways to change our political culture".

"It's not just about putting the photo opportunity first," he stressed.

He said he was aiming at "a different type of leadership that has listening as part of leading".

Analysis

By Adam Fleming, political correspondent

Nick Clegg does it on the radio. David Cameron prefers it in a factory. And Ed Miliband will do it wherever. Politicians quite enjoy being grilled by ordinary voters. Yes, there's a risk they might get egged or - worse - pelted with an embarrassing question, but it makes them look human and cuts out the cynical media man - ie me.

The Labour leader's proposal of a Prime Minister's Questions for the public in parliament - PPMQs anyone? - is pretty revolutionary. But I think the idea of punters on the green benches is too much for the hidebound world of Westminster. More likely is a Q&A in a committee room or in Westminster Hall, the lesser-known sister chamber of the Commons.

And who would get to do the asking? How would you get a seat? How would you ensure the audience was balanced and not packed with cronies? Mr Miliband's idea raises a lot of, well, questions.

Asked about his effort in a speech two days ago to confront a perceived image problem, Mr Miliband said: "I wanted to say to the public I'm not just going to compete on the terms you're used to.

"I'm competing on terms that are different and I actually think are more important to you and to your life."

He said Labour would put forward policies on issues such as rent and housing, the minimum wage and abuse of zero-hours contracts at the next election.

"I happen to think that's more important than if I look good eating a bacon sandwich," he said.

Obama meeting

Mr Miliband defended a recent short meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House, which critics dismissed as a photo opportunity.

He said they had discussed important issues such as climate change and inequality.

"If we think about those questions, the solutions go through the United States.

"As someone who wants to be the prime minister... I think that to engage with the United States is a totally sensible thing."

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Strip Russia of World Cup - Clegg

27 July 2014 Last updated at 13:11

Russia should lose the right to host the 2018 World Cup as part of tougher sanctions following the plane crash in eastern Ukraine, Nick Clegg has said.

The UK deputy prime minister told the Sunday Times it was "unthinkable" that Russia should host the football event.

Pro-Russian separatist rebels have been accused of shooting down the Malaysia Airlines jet. Russia has suggested it could have been the Ukraine military.

World football governing body Fifa has rejected calls to change the 2018 host.

Responding after some German politicians also called for Russia to be boycotted, Fifa said the 2018 tournament could be a "force for good".

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed in eastern Ukraine on 17 July, killing all 298 people on board.

Western nations have accused Russia of arming rebels who allegedly shot down the plane, which Moscow denies.

On Friday the EU extended its sanctions list targeting Russians linked to the separatist uprising, taking the number of individuals and entities subject to asset freezes and travel bans past 100.

World status

Mr Clegg said a package of measures was needed to put pressure on Russia, but the threat of withdrawing the World Cup would be "a very potent political and symbolic sanction".

"If there's one thing that Vladimir Putin cares about, as far as I can see, it's his sense of status," he said.

"Maybe reminding him that you can't retain the same status in the world if you ignore the rest of the world, maybe that will have some effect on his thinking."

A Downing Street spokesman said the prime minister "does not believe we should reach immediately for boycotts", but said it was "not surprising, given Russian behaviour, that people are starting to raise the issue".

"It shows the importance of Russia changing course, before its international standing is damaged even further," the spokesman said.

In response, Fifa repeated a statement it released last week following calls by a leading German MP, Michael Fuchs, for Russia to be stripped of the World Cup.

Fifa said the World Cup could be a "powerful catalyst for constructive dialogue between people and governments, helping to bring positive social developments".

"Fifa believes this will be the case for the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia," it added.

'Ugly aggression'

However, Mr Clegg said world leaders would look "so weak and so insincere" if the World Cup was allowed to go ahead in Russia without a change of course from President Putin.

"Vladimir Putin himself has to understand that he can't have his cake and eat it," the Liberal Democrat leader said.

"He can't constantly... push the patience of the international community beyond breaking point, destabilise a neighbouring country, protect these armed separatists in the east of Ukraine and still have the privilege and honour of receiving all the accolades in 2018 for being the host nation of the World Cup."

He added: "You can't have this - the beautiful game marred by the ugly aggression of Russia on the Russian-Ukrainian border."

Mr Clegg also said Russia should not host a Grand Prix in October, but Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has said it will go ahead as planned.

Mr Clegg did not rule out the UK as a potential alternative host for 2018 - saying the country had the required stadiums, infrastructure and "enthusiasm".

But he said his call was not a "British land grab to snatch the World Cup from under Vladimir Putin's nose".

Douglas Alexander, Labour's shadow foreign secretary, said Fifa should reconsider whether Russia was "fit" to host the 2018 World Cup if proof emerged it had "direct responsibly for downing flight MH17".

"Fifa should therefore be undertaking contingency planning now so that, if required, alternative plans are in place in plenty of time for teams and fans from around the world", he said.

BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said Mr Clegg's comments were "another example of increasingly strident diplomatic language" from the UK over Russia.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Costa Concordia ends final voyage

27 July 2014 Last updated at 10:55

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

The operation to recover the Costa Concordia is ending at a specially constructed wharf near Genoa, as Alan Johnston reports

The wrecked Italian cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, has entered the port of Genoa for scrapping after a two-year salvage operation.

Its removal was one of the biggest ever maritime salvage operations.

The Concordia struck a reef off the Italian island of Giglio in January 2012 and capsized, killing 32 people.

Captain Francesco Schettino has denied charges of multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship, which could see him jailed for up to 20 years.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is expected in Genoa in the afternoon to see the end of the complex docking procedure, which is expected to take several hours.

Genoa is where the Costa Concordia was built and launched amid fanfare and celebration nine years ago but now she is limping home to be scrapped, says the BBC's Alan Johnston.

"The operation to recover the Concordia was not easy. Italy carried it out, the Italy that, when it sets out to, is capable of doing anything, even of surprising us," Mr Renzi said.

Antonio Benvenuti, the head of Genoa's harbour workers' union, told AP that there was no "precise schedule" for each stage of dealing with the wreck.

Tests will be carried out first to monitor for potential pollution problems, Mr Benvenuti said, before the first stage of the operation would begin, reducing the weight of the ship in order to lift it.

The Costa Concordia was re-floated nine days ago and was kept above the surface by giant buoyancy chambers. More than a dozen vessels helped to tow the ship after it was pulled away from Giglio on Wednesday.

A huge net was dragged behind the vessel aimed at catching things that might spill out of the wreck, such as furniture or passengers' belongings, our correspondent says.

The wreck was hauled upright in September last year but was still partially submerged, resting on six steel platforms.

Investigators are still looking for the body of Indian waiter Russel Rebello, whose body is the only one not to have been found.

The Costa Concordia's owners, Costa Crociere, estimate the operation to remove the wreck from the reef and tow it for scrapping will cost 1.5bn euros (£1.2bn; $2bn) in total.

Are you in the area? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Costa Concordia' in the subject heading and including your contact details.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dutch cancel MH17 crash site visit

27 July 2014 Last updated at 12:49

Dutch experts have cancelled plans to head to the site of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine, international officials say.

Fighting between pro-Russia separatists and government troops in the area has prevented access to the site, they add.

Earlier, Malaysia said it had struck a deal with the rebels to allow international police at the site.

MH17 crashed on 17 July, killing all 298 people on board. The rebels have been accused of shooting it down.

Russia has suggested the plane could have been shot down by the Ukrainian military - an allegation Ukraine denies.

'Unacceptable risk'

The investigators, who are currently in Donetsk, have struggled to gain access to the rebel-controlled crash site, despite a truce between Ukrainian troops and separatist forces.

"There is fighting going on. We can't take the risk," said Alexander Hug, of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Jan Tuinder, leader of the Dutch investigation team: "We need Ukrainian support"

"The security situation on the way to the site and on the site itself is unacceptable for our unarmed observer mission," he added.

The eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have been gripped by heavy fighting as government forces try to retake rebel strongholds.

Shelling was reported close to the MH17 crash site, near the town of Grabove, on Sunday.

Rebels have prevented journalists going to the site and Ukrainian government forces are said to be nearby, says the BBC's Tom Burridge, in eastern Ukraine.

A total of 227 coffins containing the remains of the victims have been sent for identification to the Netherlands, which is leading the crash investigation.

The first MH17 victim has been identified, though officials did not reveal any details.

Officials say the exact number of bodies already collected will be determined only after forensic experts have completed their examination.

Parliamentary vote

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Sunday that he had reached an agreement with Ukrainian separatist leader Aleksander Borodai to allow international police access to the site in order to "provide protection for international crash investigators".

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that Australian police officers would also be deployed as part of the Dutch-led mission.

"Our objective is to get in, get cracking and to get out... This is a risky mission, no doubt about that," he added.

Dutch officials have signalled that they will wait until Ukraine holds a parliamentary vote to approve the presence of an international police force in Grabove before deploying their own officers, our correspondent says.

The US says it believes rebels shot down the passenger jet with a Russian-provided SA-11 Buk surface-to-air missile, probably by mistake.

Russia has frequently denied sending heavy weapons into Ukraine but rebel leaders have given conflicting accounts of whether they had control of a Buk launcher at the time the plane was downed.

In a new development, Russia says it has set up its own team of experts to investigate the plane crash, according to RIA Novosti agency.

Malaysia Airlines commercial director Hugh Dunleavy has called for the formation of "one body to be the arbiter of where we can fly" in the wake of the MH17 disaster.

Writing for the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Dunleavy says "this tragedy has taught us that despite following the guidelines and advice set out by the governing bodies, the skies above certain territories are simply not safe".

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pakistan climbers scale K2 summit

26 July 2014 Last updated at 12:56

The first team of Pakistani climbers to reach the summit of the world's second tallest mountain, K2, has arrived at the summit.

K2 lies in Pakistan, near the northern border with China. The climbers made it to the summit at 02:30 (22:30 GMT on Friday).

Mountaineers regard K2 as more challenging to conquer than Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.

Correspondents, however, say descending from the top is more dangerous.

The Pakistani climbers were undertaking their expedition on the 60th anniversary of the first successful ascent of K2.

Three Italians - Achille Compagnoni, Lino Lacedelli and Ardito Desio, reached the top of K2 on 31 July 1954.

The current expedition - called K2 60 Years Later - includes six Pakistanis: Hassan Jan, Ali Durani, Rahmat Ullah Baig, Ghulam Mehdi, Ali and Muhammad Sadiq. Three Italians are also part of the group.

Individual Pakistan climbers have reached the top before - but this is Pakistan's first successful team attempt.

The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Islamabad says many have died returning to the base camp in the past as the descent is trickier.

In June, the Italian organisation supporting the Pakistani effort announced it had installed a weather station feeding data to the climbers and researchers monitoring activity in high mountain regions.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nigeria 'on red alert' over Ebola

26 July 2014 Last updated at 11:27

Nigeria says it has put all entries into the country on red alert after confirming the death of a Liberian man who was carrying the Ebola virus.

The man died after arriving at Lagos airport on Tuesday, in the first Ebola case in Africa's most populous country.

Surveillance has been stepped up at all "airports, seaports and land borders", says Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu.

Since February, more than 660 people have died of Ebola in West Africa - the world's deadliest outbreak to date.

It began in southern Guinea and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

'Contact avoided'

The Liberian man collapsed on arrival in Lagos last Sunday. He was taken from the airport to hospital, where he was put in quarantine.

Officials have identified the 40-year-old man as an employee of the Liberian government.

Mr Chukwu confirmed that the other passengers on board the flight had been traced and were being monitored.

The patient had "avoided contact with the general public" between the airport and the hospital, he said.

Health specialists have been deployed at all entry points into the country, he added.

The virus, which kills up to 90% of those infected, spreads through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids.

Patients have a better chance of survival if they receive treatment early.

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

• Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage
• Fatality rate can reach 90%
• Incubation period is two to 21 days
• There is no vaccine or cure
• Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery
• Fruit bats are considered to be the natural host of the virus

The red alert in Nigeria comes as Sierra Leone launches a hunt for a woman infected with Ebola, who was forcibly removed from hospital by her relatives.

The 32-year-old, who is the first registered Ebola case in the capital Freetown, was described by national radio as a "risk to all".

The Ebola cases in Sierra Leone are centred in the country's eastern districts of Kenema and Kailahun, just over the border from the Guekedou region of Guinea where the outbreak started.

Police said thousands of people joined a street protest in Kenema on Friday over the government's handling of the outbreak.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the doctor leading Sierra Leone's fight against Ebola was being treated for the virus.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization said that 219 people had died of Ebola in Sierra Leone.

WHO: West Africa Ebola outbreak figures as of 24 July

• Guinea - 314 deaths, 415 cases
• Liberia - 127 deaths, 224 cases
• Sierra Leone - 219 deaths, 454 cases

WHO update

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

English councils propose 'Tesco tax'

26 July 2014 Last updated at 10:59 By Emma Simpson Business correspondent, BBC News

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Derby and 19 other local authorities back the so-called "Tesco tax"

A group of local councils in England is formally asking the government for new powers to tax large supermarkets.

BBC News has learned that Derby City Council has called for the right to bring in a levy as a "modest" effort to ensure supermarket spending "re-circulates" in local communities.

Some 19 other local authorities back a so-called "Tesco tax" on big retailers, which could raise up to £400m a year.

The government said additional taxes on supermarkets would push up food prices.

A similar tax already operates in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The council has made the suggestion under the Sustainable Communities Act, which allows communities and councils to put forward ideas to government to solve local problems.

In its submission, the council says that while supermarkets bring some benefits, they have an overall detrimental impact on the sustainability of local communities.

"Research has shown that 95% of all the money spent in any large supermarket leaves the local economy for good, compared to just 50% from local independent retailers; this levy is a modest attempt to ensure more of that money re-circulates within and continues to contribute to local jobs and local trade," its report states.

'Already benefiting'

The council wants the right to impose a levy on large supermarkets, retain the money raised, and use it to help small businesses. It said it could also use the money to support community centres and parks.

The extra business rates levy, of up to 8.5%, would affect any large retail outlet with a rateable value of more than £500,000.

Ranjit Banwait, leader of the council, said communities in Scotland and Northern Ireland were "already benefiting" from the scheme.

"The revenue that we'll be able to generate will mean that we can support local businesses - especially small businesses," he said.

"We'll be able to improve public services."

The government will have six months to respond. If agreed, the levy would apply not just to the 20 councils seeking change but to all local authorities in England.

And if every one of them took it up, it could cost the big supermarkets alone an extra £190m in tax.

If the levy was imposed on all big out-of-town retailers, including businesses such as Ikea, Homebase and B&Q, it could raise about £400m in total.

But the government has already given an indication of how the idea will be received.

The move would hit low-income families the hardest, said the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

'Powerful legacy'

"We ruled out such a bid for higher taxes under the last round of the Sustainable Communities Act proposals," it said.

"There are much better ways to support small shops."

However, the move has been given a cautious welcome by the former retail boss and High Street campaigner Bill Grimsey. He proposed the idea of a levy in his independent review of the High Street last year.

He called for a one-off levy on retailers and pub groups with a turnover of more than £10m to help finance plans to allow struggling town centres to rebuild themselves for the future.

Mr Grimsey said it was right that the biggest retailers put something back into their high streets:

"Used wisely, it could leave a lasting and powerful legacy. But I don't want this introduced as an annual levy that essentially becomes another tax," he said.

"If it's used simply to plug council budget shortfalls, it won't be fair and it'll be anti-business. This has to be about the High Street, not clobbering big business."

Heated debate

Supporters of the move, which include Oxford, Brighton and Hove, Preston, Southwark and Sefton councils, believe the supermarkets can afford it, saying it is just a fraction of the costs that supermarkets had to swallow when VAT was raised in 2011.

But retailers are likely to strongly resist the move arguing that they are taxed enough already. They pay more in business rates, a property-based tax, than any other form of taxation and have been urging the government for a complete rethink on the system.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Councillor Ranjit Banwait on his call for a "supermarket levy"

They will also raise concerns about fresh investment and jobs being put at risk.

The British Retail Consortium has said it is consulting its members on the proposed tax.

The levy imposed by the Scottish government on larger shops selling alcohol and tobacco is set to end next year. The aim of the scheme was to make them contribute to public health measures.

It is clear Derby City Council's idea for an additional tax on retailers south of the border will spark even more heated debate.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Navy commander faces affair claims

26 July 2014 Last updated at 12:20

The first female commander of a major Royal Navy warship is understood to have left her vessel after allegations of an affair with one of her officers.

Cdr Sarah West, 42, was coming to the end of a seven-month deployment on board the Type 23 frigate HMS Portland.

The Ministry of Defence would not confirm the claims but said she was currently on annual leave.

It said it was aware of a complaint of a breach of the code of social conduct on board the ship.

When she took up her post in May 2012, Cdr West said it was "definitely the highlight of my 16 years in the Royal Navy so far".

'Treating seriously'

Cdr West had been on board HMS Portland since January on a deployment. The ship is currently in the Caribbean and is due to return to its base in Plymouth shortly.

It is not clear when Cdr West left the frigate.

The MoD has confirmed she is now on annual leave and her second-in-command is in charge of the ship.

It said it was "aware of an allegation of a breach of the code of social conduct" on board the ship, which it was "treating seriously".

"Anyone who is found to fall short of the Royal Navy's high standards can expect to face appropriate action," a spokesperson said.

The code governs personal relationships, which are not permitted if they compromise operational effectiveness.

There is no confirmation that Cdr West has had a relationship with a fellow officer. But if she is found to have breached the Royal Navy code, she could be removed from her command.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Truce as deaths in Gaza pass 900

26 July 2014 Last updated at 13:06

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Chris Morris reports from Shejaiya, where people are using the truce to dash back to their homes to gather what they can

Residents in Gaza are using a 12-hour humanitarian truce to return to their homes, gather essential supplies and search for those trapped in the rubble.

At least 85 bodies have been pulled from the rubble during the truce, a Palestinian health official says.

That raises the Palestinian death toll to 985 since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on 8 July, the spokesman said. Thirty-nine Israelis have died.

International talks on a longer truce have resumed in Paris.

Israel said it would continue to "locate and neutralise" Hamas tunnels during the pause, which began at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT).

So far 31 tunnels have been discovered, with about half destroyed, Israeli's military says.

Before the truce began, Israeli strikes killed at least 19 Palestinians overnight at a family home near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Images showed relatives weeping as the bodies of five children were taken to a local morgue.

Two Israeli soldiers were also killed overnight, Israel's military confirmed.

The Iron Dome defence system intercepted three rockets fired towards the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon overnight.

'Astonishing scene': Ian Pannell, BBC News, Gaza City

In the district of Shejaiya, residents started flooding back from 08:00, despite warnings not to do so.

The scene here is just astonishing - the most widespread destruction: buildings completely pulverised, cars thrown 50m (160ft) into the air on top of buildings, the facades of some block of flats completely ripped off.

The air is pretty thick with the stench of death as people try to recover bodies and belongings.

In the background I can hear a crackle of gunfire. Although a humanitarian ceasefire is in place, clearly people are still shooting. There is an Israeli drone flying overhead, and we've heard the sound of fighter jets.

I think people feel they have a brief window of opportunity to do as much as they can and then frankly get out of here.

Follow Ian Pannell's tweets from Gaza

'Confident of ceasefire'

US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting the foreign ministers of Turkey, Qatar and some European countries in Paris in the hopes of agreeing a longer ceasefire.

Mr Kerry spent a week in the Middle East attempting to broker a deal before leaving Egypt on Friday.

"The goal is to bring together international efforts so that as quickly as possible conditions for a cease-fire in Gaza emerge," said a French foreign ministry spokesman.

Hamas insists that any ceasefire should include a lifting of the blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel and Egypt since 2007.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Israel "appreciated" Mr Kerry's continued efforts, and that Israel wanted "peace and quiet".

"The people of Gaza are not our enemy, our enemy are the people shooting those rockets into Israeli cities," Mr Regev told the BBC.

Israel is reported to want to continue operations against Hamas infiltration tunnels once direct conflict ends.

In the meantime, the 12-hour truce was agreed overnight, although the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vowed to respond if attacked.

The truce came shortly after Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon warned that ground operations in Gaza could soon be broadened "significantly".

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli security forces in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, as Orla Guerin reports

The British ambassador to the UN, Mark Lyall Grant, said he was disappointed at the failure to reach a longer-term truce.

But he welcomed Saturday's 12-hour pause, saying it could "open up a little bit of space to work on a more sustainable ceasefire".

Separately, the UK confirmed it would send £2m ($3.39m) of additional assistance to the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) in Gaza.

There were also clashes during protests in the West Bank on Friday which left at least five Palestinians dead.

Palestinians in the West Bank had declared a "Day of Rage" against Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched its military offensive on 8 July with the declared objective of stopping Hamas firing rockets into Israel.

It has since extended its operation to destroy tunnels dug by militants to infiltrate Israel.

Are you in the West Bank, Gaza or Israel? How has the ceasefire affected you? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, using the subject line 'Israel Gaza'.

19.12 | 0 komentar | Read More