UN calls for immediate ceasefire

The extent of the destruction in Gaza became apparent during ceasefires over the weekend

The UN Security Council has called for an "immediate and unconditional humanitarian #ceasefire" in Gaza.

An emergency session backed a statement calling for a truce over the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr "and beyond".

On Sunday #Israel and #Palestinian militants continued their offensives despite a 24-hour ceasefire announced by Hamas.

More than 1,030 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 43 Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians have been killed.

A Thai national in Israel has also died. The Gaza health ministry on Sunday revised the number of dead down by 30 after some relatives found missing family members.

The UN Security Council endorsed a statement from Rwanda, the current president of the council, calling for a "durable" truce based on an Egyptian initiative - under which a pause in hostilities would lead to substantive talks on the future of Gaza, including the opening of Gaza's border crossings.

The statement also emphasised that "civilian and humanitarian facilities, including those of the UN, must be respected and protected".

It further stressed the need for "immediate provision of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip".

The Palestinian representative at the UN, Riyad Mansour, said the statement did not go far enough, saying a formal resolution was needed demanding that Israel withdraw its forces from Gaza.

On Sunday Israel rejected a truce announced by Hamas, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying: "Israel will do what it must do to defend its people."

Hamas fired more rockets into Israel, accusing it of failing to abide by the ceasefire.

President Barack Obama also called for an immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire in a phone call to Mr Netanyahu on Sunday.

He added that a long-term solution would have to allow "Palestinians in Gaza to lead normal lives" and "must ensure the disarmament of terrorist groups and the demilitarisation of Gaza".

Mr Obama may have felt compelled to make the call after some embarrassment to his Secretary of State, John Kerry, in Israel, the BBC's Aleem Maqbool reports from Washington.

Mr Kerry's ceasefire plan was rejected, and his character was attacked in sections of the Israeli media.

Mr Obama may also feel that after a weekend where brief ceasefires helped expose the full extent of the destruction in parts of Gaza, he had to be seen to be condemning it, our correspondent adds. BBC