Further developments in Gaza

Quoting the presstitutes for the bare facts.

What exactly is the price of one Jewish life? How many hundreds of Palestinians?

Israel says missing soldier is dead

The Israeli military says a soldier reported missing in Gaza on Friday is dead.

BBC,

2 July 2014, 00.05 GMT

Hadar Goldin was believed to have been captured by militants during fighting, leading to the collapse of a ceasefire shortly after it had been declared.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had determined that Lt Goldin, previously considered captured, had died.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said the operation in Gaza will continue according to Israel's security needs.

Hamas had denied it was holding the 23-year-old captive, saying it did not know the soldier's whereabouts.

The military wing of Islamist group said it had lost contact with some fighters in the area where Israel said the soldier had been seized.

It said it believed the fighters and possibly Lt Goldin had been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Israel's defence minister and the chief military rabbi met the soldier's family at their home in the town of Kfar Saba on Saturday night.

Hundreds of well-wishers had gathered outside their home and there was an outpouring of grief when the military's announcement was made public.

It is understood the army came to its conclusion after examining DNA evidence, reports the BBC's Bethany Bell in Jerusalem.

Confirmation of Lt Goldin's death means 66 Israelis have now died in the fighting, all but two of them soldiers.

Some 1,670 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the conflict began more than three weeks ago.

'Intolerable price'

Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to continue the Israeli offensive in Gaza until "we achieve our objective of restoring security to you, Israeli's citizens".

"Hamas again mistakenly believes that the people of Israel do not have the will and determination to fight them and Hamas again will learn the hard way that Israel will do whatever it must do to protect its people," he said.

The Islamist group would pay an "intolerable price" for attacks on Israel, Mr Netanyahu added.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum dismissed Mr Netanyahu's comments as "confused" and said the group would "continue to resist until we achieve our goals".