Putin: Ukraine Assault Like Nazis In WW2

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine's assault on cities in the east of the country is reminiscent of the Nazi siege of Leningrad.

"Small villages and large cities surrounded by the Ukrainian army which is directly hitting residential areas... It sadly reminds me the events of the Second World War, when German fascist... occupants surrounded our cities," he told a youth camp outside Moscow.

Mr Putin urged Kiev to begin "substantive" negotiations with the separatists to achieve peace, adding that Russians and Ukrainians are "practically one people".

Mr Lavrov: 'No proof of Russian involvement'

Earlier Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed claims that its troops are fighting in eastern Ukraine as "conjecture".

Mr Lavrov was speaking after the US accused Russia of lying about its involvement in Ukraine and warned of tougher economic sanctions.

Nato has accused Russia of violating its international obligations and has released satellite photos of what it says are Russian troops in Ukraine.

Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said: "It is now clear that Russian troops and equipment have illegally crossed the border into eastern and southeastern Ukraine.

Russian arms seized in eastern Ukraine

"This is not an isolated action but part of a dangerous pattern over many months to destabilise Ukraine as a sovereign nation."

Kiev said on Friday a call by Mr Putin for separatists to open a "humanitarian corridor" to allow encircled Ukrainian troops to withdraw was further proof they were "led and controlled directly from the Kremlin".

A top insurgent in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk said the Ukrainian troops would have to lay down their arms before they were allowed to go.

"We are ready to open humanitarian corridors to the Ukrainian troops who were surrounded with the condition that they surrender heavy weaponry and ammunition so that this weaponry and ammunition will not be used against us in future," Alexander Zakharchenko said.

A satellite image allegedly showing a Russian military incursion in Ukraine

Ten Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 30 wounded in fighting with pro-Russian separatists in the past 24 hours, Kiev's security and defence council said on Friday.

Fighting has intensified since the rebels - allegedly helped by Russian soldiers - opened a new front just as Ukraine's army had virtually surrounded Donetsk and another separatist stronghold, Luhansk.

The casualty figure was released after the UN revealed a total of 2,593 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since the fighting erupted in mid-April.

It said the number included civilians as well as Ukrainian and separatist combatants, but not the 298 victims of the MH17 Malaysian Airlines plane crash.

The rebels control the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk

Nato is due to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said an EU summit on Saturday would discuss the prospect of further sanctions against Russia.

The tensions also led Poland to prevent a plane carrying Russia's defence minister from travelling through its airspace on Friday, leading to a complaint from Moscow.

Meanwhile, the US fast-food giant McDonald's has revealed a total of 12 branches in Russia had been temporarily closed by the state food safety watchdog over alleged sanitary law breaches.

A Ukrainian soldier exchanges fire with separatists

The company, which has 440 restaurants in the country, also said more than 100 further inspections were being carried out at its outlets.

"We are studying the essence of claims in order to determine the necessary actions for the swift re-opening of restaurants for visitors," the firm said in a statement.

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Ebola Drug ZMap 100% Effective In Monkey Trial

Experimental ebola drug ZMapp has cured all of the infected monkeys it was tested on, lifting hopes it could be used to fight West Africa's deadliest ever outbreak.

Scientists reported the drug healed all 18 monkeys who were given a lethal dose of the virus.

According to the study, published by the journal Nature, the monkeys were treated with ZMapp three to five days after they were infected and when most were showing symptoms. 

Even those suffering advanced symptoms like rashes, liver dysfunction and haemorrhaging and were just hours from death survived.

No other experimental ebola drug has ever shown success in primates so long after infection, with five days equal to between nine and 11 days after infection in humans. 

Three monkeys who were not offered the treatment, produced by San Diago-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical, died by day eight.

Kent Brantly, the US doctor who survived ebola, was treated with ZMapp

"The level of improvement was utterly beyond my honest expectation," said one study leader, Gary Kobinger of the Public Health Agency of Canada in Winnipeg.

In a commentary published by Nature, virologist Thomas Geisbert of the University of Texas Medical Branch, described the results as a "monumental success."

It was the first time the drug was tested on primates.

Although it is not known whether the success will be replicated on people, who can take up to 21 days to show symptoms, Mapp has already begun producing more of the drug ready for scientific human testing.

The company has no more doses of ZMapp, which is grown in tobacco plants and takes several months to produce.

Ebola spread to a fifth African country on Friday

The final doses were given to seven people infected with the virus in recent weeks.

Two American aid workers were among five people who survived after being given the drug.

Their physicians do not know whether it was instrumental in their recovery as roughly half of those infected during West Africa's recent outbreak have recovered naturally.

A Liberian doctor infected with the virus died this week despite being given the drug, as did a Spanish priest.

It comes after researchers revealed the outbreak may have started at a funeral in Sierra Leone.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 1,552 people of 3,069 confirmed ebola cases have died. 

WHO says there could be as many as 20,000 cases before the virus is brought under control. 

There is no approved vaccine or treatment beyond keeping patients hydrated and nourished. 

The virus spread to a fifth African country on Friday, with Senegal reporting that a university student who had travelled from Guinea was being treated.

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Gaza Ceasefire: A Truce, Not A Peace

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, Jerusalem

The phrase 'open-ended ceasefire' suggests a lasting end to the fighting in Gaza.

But this is a truce, not a peace – and few would say with confidence this arrangement prevents, rather than simply delays, the next round of violence.

After 50 days of extraordinary bloodshed, the halt in fighting is no doubt welcome by all sides.

But the discussion of how to resolve the core issues have been pushed down the road, for renewed talks in Cairo in a month's time.

For now, the immediate ceasefire rests on agreements that effectively replicate the last ceasefire arrived at in November 2012.

These are a halt to rocket and mortar fire from Gaza, and an end to Israeli military action; the relaxation of border restrictions to allow passage of humanitarian aid and reconstruction equipment into Gaza, and an extension of the fishing limit off the Gaza coast from three to six nautical miles.

Israel is easing a blockade of Gaza to allow in humanitarian aid

If the current ceasefire holds for a month, there are some low-hanging fruit that may also start to be introduced.

The possible extension of the fishing limit to 12 nautical miles; the transfer of responsibility for Gaza's borders with Egypt and Israel from Hamas to the Palestinian Authority, and a narrowing of Israel's 'no-go zone' within Gaza's borders from 300 to 100m – allowing farmers access to their land.

But these are all secondary to the thorny issues that will need addressing if another cycle of war is to be avoided.

Hamas, and the wider Palestinian leadership, want an end to Israel's blockade of Gaza – the opening of border crossings so that Gazans may travel, the creation of an airport and the creation of a seaport.

They want the block on the transfer of wages to officials in Gaza to be removed, and the release of what they see as political prisoners in Israeli jails – both long-serving and those rounded up in the West Bank following the murder of three Israeli teenagers in June.

Over 2,100 Palestinians and 68 Israelis were killed in the conflict

A possible exchange may be in the offing that would see Hamas hand over the bodily remains and personal effects of two Israeli soldiers killed in the ground operation.

For Israel's part, it is demanding any concessions be in exchange for demilitarisation in Gaza and steps towards Hamas recognising Israel's right to exist.

There is international pressure for these issues to be resolved, but no illusions about how difficult it is going to be.

There is scepticism amongst some western diplomats that the Egyptian mediation which brought about the ceasefire, has the capacity to get firm agreements on these points.

So there's likely to be a significant push – led by the US, but based upon a European initiative – at the UN Security Council to try and impose a resolution dealing with these issues.

But imposing external solutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has a far from successful track record.

While the bombs and rockets may have been put on hold, the belligerent positions have not – which doesn't bode well for prospects this truce might lead to peace.

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Israel 'Did Not Accept Any Hamas Demands'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has brushed off critics of the Gaza ceasefire, saying "Hamas was hit hard".

The premier has been under pressure after agreeing a truce with the Palestinians following a 50-day war which has left some of the Palestinian territory in ruins.

In a speech on Wednesday night, he said the military campaign had dealt a heavy blow to Hamas and a ceasefire deal had provided the militant organisation with no concessions.

The operation in Gaza had resulted in "great military and diplomatic achievements", he claimed, adding that Israel "didn't agree to accept any of Hamas' demands".

His comments came after Hamas declared victory in the seven week conflict, which saw hundreds of rockets sent into Israel and, according the Gaza's health ministry, left more than 2,100 Palestinians dead.

The armed wing of Hamas' at a rally following their declaration of victory

On the Israeli side, 70 people were killed. All but six were soldiers.

Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Hamas' military wing, said: "Gaza achieved victory because it has done what major armies failed to do. It forced the enemy to retreat.

"We must know that no voice is louder than the voice of the resistance."

Mr Obeida said that his organisation had crushed Israel's ego after it was denied any strategic gains.

He also claimed that Hamas had proved that negotiation alone was not sufficient as Israel only understood the language of force and the only road to the liberation of Jerusalem was via resistance.

Israelis remember the last victim killed by a mortar before the ceasefire

"There is no room for those Arabs who favour surrender. Our message must be one of strength," he said.

The open-ended ceasefire appeared to be holding, raising hopes it would eventually lead to a peace deal.

Thousands of people went on to the streets of Gaza to celebrate the truce, which was brokered in Egypt and came into effect at 4pm GMT on Tuesday.

The terms allow for an easing of Israel's blockade of Gaza to allow humanitarian aid and construction goods to enter for the rebuilding of the territory. Any goods taken in must do so under international supervision.

Demands that Hamas regards as important will only be addressed next month in Cairo.

A young girl joins the 'victory' celebrations at a Hamas rally in Gaza

Hamas wants a complete end to the Israeli blockade, which will include the reopening of Gaza's sea and airport.

It also wants Egypt to reopen the border crossing at Rafah. Israel, meanwhile, wants Hamas to be fully disarmed.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel "will not tolerate" any more rocket fire, and if the attacks resume, "we will respond even harder."

Israel carried out thousands of airstrikes and sent its troops into Gaza to attack Hamas targets. It also destroyed several tunnels it said led from Gaza into its territory.

Israel said that Hamas was responsible for the deaths of Palestinian civilians, claiming that the militants used flat blocks, mosques and schools to launch or store their weapons.

An estimated 100,000 people were left homeless by the Israel airstrikes. Several homes were also damaged and destroyed in Israel by militant attacks from Gaza.

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Ukraine: The Story On The Russian Soldiers

Russian Paratroopers 'Captured' In Ukraine

Updated: 4:49pm UK, Tuesday 26 August 2014

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have sat down for talks - hours after video footage of captured Russian soldiers risked inflaming tensions between the two countries.

The two leaders met alongside senior EU officials in Belarus, where Mr Putin said the conflict in eastern Ukraine would not be solved by a military escalation in the region. 

Mr Poroshenko said the talks would decide "the fate of Europe and the world".

The Russian president's conciliatory words came after Ukraine presented fresh evidence suggesting Russian military activity within Ukraine.

Ukraine's security service (UBS) released video footage purportedly showing 10 Russian paratroopers who were captured by the army in the war-torn east of the country.

The UBS said it had opened a criminal probe after soldiers from the 98th airborne division based in central Russia were detained near the village of Dzerkalne, around 30 miles (50km) from rebel-held Donetsk.

A Ukrainian military spokesman said the men were on a "special mission".

But Russian military sources quoted by state news agencies have claimed the soldiers crossed the border by mistake.

In footage posted on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian government's "anti-terrorist operation", the men were shown dressed in camouflage fatigues.

One of them, who identified himself as Ivan Melchyakov, listed his personal details, including the name of the paratroop regiment he said is based in the Russian town of Kostroma.

"I did not see where we crossed the border. They just told us we were going on a 70-kilometre march over three days," he said.

"Everything is different here, not like they show it on television. We've come as cannon fodder," he said in the video.

Ukraine's Defence Minister Valeriy Geletey said the soldiers were captured on Monday.

"Officially they are at exercises in various corners of Russia.

"In reality, they are participating in military aggression against Ukraine and their families know nothing about their true fate.

"I am addressing the relatives of Russian servicemen: find out immediately where your loved ones are. Take them out of Ukraine, where they are being forced to die."

US National Security Adviser Susan Rice slammed Russia over the incident, branding the latest apparent incursion "dangerous and inflammatory" on Twitter.

At the talks in Minsk, Mr Poroshenko said the only way to end the bloodshed in eastern Ukraine was through effective border controls with Russia, halting arms supplies to rebels and releasing prisoners of war.

Mr Putin said Moscow would retaliate if a trade pact between Ukraine and the EU gave European goods a back door to Russian markets - a move he said that would cost his economy 100bn roubles (£1.6bn)

Even as the Ukrainian president landed outside Minsk earlier on Tuesday, his country's military said an attack by Russian separatists on the town of Novoazovsk was ongoing.

A spokesman said a hospital was on fire and 12 Ukrainian service personnel had been killed in the last 24 hours - while government forces had destroyed 12 armoured infantry carriers in the area using artillery and aircraft.

Kiev has accused its neighbour of stoking the separatist insurgency but this is the first time authorities have claimed to have captured Russian soldiers.

Moscow continues to deny any involvement in the rebellion.

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Ukraine-Russia Talks Yield No Breakthrough

Talks between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia have ended without a major breakthrough towards ending fighting between government forces and pro-Moscow separatists.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin sat down for one-on-one talks in Belarus, hours after Kiev said it had captured 10 Russian paratroopers on its territory.

Mr Poroshenko said there were "some results" but there seemed to be no significant compromises to help end four months of fighting in east Ukraine that has left more than 2,000 dead and forced more than 400,000 people from their homes.

Russia has long been accused by Kiev of backing the separatists, charges Moscow has repeatedly denied.

Mr Putin has faced criticism from Ukraine and the West over the crisis

Mr Putin said he would "do everything" to help a future peace process but did little to ease tensions when he shrugged off the claims about the paratroopers.

"I have not yet received a report from the defence ministry. But from what I have heard, they were patrolling the border and could have ended up on Ukrainian territory," Mr Putin said, adding that Ukrainian troops had previously crossed into Russia.

Mr Poroshenko (right) demanded action, not words, to end the fighting

"I am hoping that there won't be any problems with the Ukrainian side over this case."

Military sources in Moscow said they crossed over the border "by accident".

Ukraine's military released footage purporting to show the captured paratroopers, who were detained around 30 miles (50km) southeast of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

The two leaders also discussed aid to the east and the gas dispute

At the talks all sides "without exception" agreed to a Kiev peace plan, Mr Poroshenko said, but he demanded "decisive actions", not words, afterwards.

But Mr Putin said only Kiev can agree a ceasefire with the separatists, insisting: "This is not our business. This is Ukraine's business."

Moscow could only "create an atmosphere of trust for this important and necessary process", he claimed.

One of the Russian paratroopers Kiev claims to have captured

Russia's decision to send an aid convoy to east Ukraine last week also raised tensions, but Mr Putin claimed to have "reached certain" agreements at the talks on sending aid there.

Moscow announced on Monday it was planning to send a second convoy to the area this week.

Mr Putin also said the two countries agreed to restart gas talks after Moscow turned off the taps to Kiev over a pricing dispute.

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Syria 'Ready To Work With West In IS Battle'

Syria has said it is ready to cooperate with the international community in the battle against Islamic State (IS) militants.

The Sunni extremists have taken over large areas of the country as well as parts of northern Iraq in recent months, declaring a "caliphate" straddling both countries.

Western powers, including the US and UK, have been backing more moderate rebel fighters in the three-year civil war against forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al Assad.

But the US, which has been carrying out airstrikes against IS in Iraq, has signalled it could extend the battle against the extremists into Syrian territory.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad

Syrian foreign minister Walid al Moualem has now held open the possibility of working with countries, including the US, Britain and Saudi Arabia, which also supported the uprising against Mr Assad.

Mr al Moualem said: "Syria, geographically and operationally, is the centre of the international coalition to fight Islamic State. States must come to it if they are serious in combating terrorism."

Asked about the prospect of US aerial raids against IS inside Syria, Mr Moualem said any strikes would have to be coordinated with Damascus.

"Anything outside this is considered aggression," he told reporters.

And asked if Syria was ready to work with the US and Britain in fighting the group, he said: "They are welcome."

Red shows areas controlled by IS, yellow shows areas of fighting

He also called for intelligence sharing with neighbouring states and suggested cooperation would be possible with Saudi Arabia.

Last week, the former head of the British Army said the West should consider negotiating with Mr Assad to tackle IS extremists.

Lord Dannatt told Sky News: "The old dictum that my enemy's enemy is my friend just might have some credence in this less than satisfactory and pretty extraordinary set of times that we are in."

A Kurdish peshmerga soldier in Iraq

But Britain has ruled out negotiating with Mr Assad and there has been no sign of any shift in US policy towards Syria, where the civil war has killed at least 191,000 people.

On Sunday, IS fighters captured the Tabqa air base in northeast Syria after days of fighting that cost more than 500 lives, according to a monitoring group.

"Islamic State has no borders and the faster we move against it, the more we diminish its danger," Mr Moualem said.

Meanwhile in Iraq, Kurdish peshmerga forces have retaken three villages in the Jalawla area northeast of Baghdad from jihadists and also held off two assaults on the Shia Turkmen-majority town of Tuz Khurmatu, officials said.

In Baghdad, a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden vest among Shia worshippers who were leaving a mosque after noon prayers, killing at least 12 people.

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Ukraine Troops Battle Rebel Armoured Convoy

Ukraine says its forces have clashed with a rebel armoured column it claims crossed the border from Russia.

The military said border guards were engaged in a battle with around 50 vehicles, including tanks, near the southeastern town of Novoazovsk, as it headed toward the port city of Mariupol.

The latest violence came as Moscow announced plans to send a second controversial aid convoy to rebel-held eastern Ukraine in a move which threatens to further escalate the bloody conflict.

There was heavy criticism of an earlier unauthorised Russian convoy

An earlier column of more than 200 trucks sent across the border by Moscow, with a cargo of what was said to be aid, without permission was branded by the government in Kiev as a "direct invasion", and was heavily criticised by the West.

There are concerns the aid convoy is a move to assist the insurgency or be used as a pretext to invade, but Russia insists it is to help the stricken region.

The continuing unrest comes on the eve of crucial talks between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents on Tuesday in a bid to find a diplomatic solution to defuse tensions, and end the deadly crisis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the aim was to "help Ukrainians agree among themselves".

But at the same time he ramped up tensions with plans to send a second aid convoy to eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian prisoners were displayed in Donetsk in mockery of a Kiev parade

Mr Lavrov said: "The humanitarian situation is not improving but deteriorating."

Kiev is also likely to have been antagonised by Mr Lavrov's comments that there was nothing demeaning about parading Ukrainian prisoners through the rebel-held city of Donetsk.

There was condemnation after pro-Russian separatists displayed captives before baying crowds in mockery of the country's Independence Day celebrations in Kiev.

The captives were followed by rubbish trucks to "clean" where they had walked.

Germany has said it was quite likely a war crime.

A foreign ministry spokesman said: "It is completely distasteful and it's just not done."

But Mr Lavrov said: "I saw images of that parade and I didn't see anything close to what could be considered as humiliating."

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California Rattled By Strong Earthquake

Three people have been critically injured after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook California's Napa and Sonoma counties.

The quake, which was felt 40 miles (64 kilometres) away in San Francisco, set off car alarms and caused residents to run out of their homes in the middle of the night.

Some 87 people received minor injuries after the quake struck at 3.20am (11.20am UK time) at a depth of seven miles.

A reporter surveys the scene of a building collapse in Napa

California's governor has declared a state of emergency.

Pictures posted on Twitter showed firefighters putting out a blaze at a mobile home park in Napa Valley and piles of rubble and masonry lying in the street which had fallen from buildings.

A 2.6 magnitude aftershock hit half-an-hour later and US Geological Survey (USGS) expert Jessica Turner told KCBS radio that aftershocks of up to 5.0 are likely in the coming week.

The tremor occurred 40 miles from San Francisco

The shocks will be examined by geologists to determine whether the quake happened on a geological fault line.

The USGS added there was a "low likelihood for casualties", but issued an "orange alert" for possible damage, which means "significant damage is likely and the disaster is potentially widespread".

Californian police closed several roads that suffered significant damage and warned drivers to take extra care while crossing an intersection in Napa Valley strewn with bricks after a building partially collapsed.

People wearing bathrobes walk down a street in Napa

Engineers were dispatched to assess the damage and restore power to some 50,000 residents in Napa and Sonoma who suffered a blackout.

Randy Baldwin, a USGS geophysicist, said the tremor was potentially damaging because it was close to populated areas.

"It is the strongest quake in a 60-mile (100-km) radius from the epicentre of this quake in several decades," he said.

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Kidnappers Release US Journalist In Syria

Kidnappers in Syria have released a US journalist who was abducted in 2012.

The United Nations (UN) confirmed Peter Theo Curtis, 45, was transferred to its peacekeeping force in the disputed Golan Heights region.

"After receiving a medical check-up, Mr Curtis was handed over to representatives of his government," the UN statement said.

Al Jazeera reported that the move followed diplomacy from Qatar.

US reporter James Foley

It comes six days after the Islamic State (IS) released a video of US reporter James Foley being beheaded in Iraq.

The UK says it is edging closer to identifying the apparently-British killer.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "Particularly after a week marked by unspeakable tragedy, we are all relieved and grateful knowing that Theo Curtis is coming home.

"Over these last two years, the United States reached out to more than two dozen countries asking for urgent help from anyone who might have tools, influence, or leverage to help secure Theo's release and the release of any Americans held hostage in Syria."

A map showing IS territory

The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that about 20 journalists are missing in Syria. Many of them are believed to be held by IS.

Mr Kerry said: "Every diplomatic, intelligence and military tool" is being used to secure the release of other American hostages.

A Qatari source told Reuters that "any captives with (Islamic State) will be very difficult for Qatar to free, while others with different groups would be easier".

IS has threatened to kill another US reporter, Steven Sotloff, if airstrikes sanctioned by President Barack Obama in Iraq continue.

Steven Sotloff (2nd from right) is being held by IS in Iraq

Mr Curtis, who is from Boston and has written books under the name Theo Padnos, was abducted near the Syria-Turkey border in October 2012

In a video statement released by kidnappers during his captivity, Mr Curtis said he "had everything" he needed and "everything has been perfect, food, clothing, even friends now".

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Gaza: 'Israeli Airstrike' Hits Apartment Block

Airstrikes Hit Gaza After Israeli Child Killed

Updated: 12:47pm UK, Saturday 23 August 2014

Israel pounded Gaza with 30 airstrikes after vowing "Hamas will pay a heavy price" for the death of a four-year-old boy from rocket fire.

Medical officials reported at least eight Palestinian deaths as the conflict entered its 47th day.

The bombardment came just hours after an attack on the southern Israeli village of Sdot Negev, in which the four-year-old died.

He suffered fatal wounds after the barrage of mortars landed in a collective farm, known as a kibbutz. Israeli military said 90 rockets were fired into the country overnight.

A mobile intensive care ambulance was sent to the scene and firefighters hosed down vehicles that were set on fire in a car park.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military would raise the tempo of operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip "until the goals of Operation Protective Edge are achieved".

It was the first Israeli death since a new round of fighting erupted on Tuesday between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers following the collapse of ceasefire talks in Cairo earlier this week.

The boy is the fourth civilian in Israel to be killed in an attack from the coastal territory since the outbreak of conflict on July 8.

Earlier in the day three people were injured by shrapnel, after rocket fired from Gaza hit a synagogue in the city of Ashdod.

Hamas also killed 18 people suspected of being informers for Israel on Friday.

The group said 11 were killed by firing squad at the Gaza City police headquarters following sentencing by courts.

Hamas media then reported that seven more alleged informants had been targeted by masked gunmen near a mosque.

Two of those killed were women, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, which called for an immediate halt to what it said were "extra-judicial executions".

Israel's intelligence services rely, in part, on informers to pinpoint the whereabouts of Hamas leaders.

So far more than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, which began as Israel sought to destroy a network of tunnels used by Hamas and other militants.

A total of 64 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in the conflict.

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Iceland Volcano Fears: Airlines On Alert

Aviation authorities are watching for developments in Iceland, where planes are on high alert after a volcanic eruption.

The country has closed airspace directly above Bardarbunga volcano after it began erupting under the ice of Europe's largest glacier following thousands of earthquakes.

The UK's air traffic control organisation NATS and safety regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) say they are ready to take action if ash is detected. 

Continued exposure to concentrated levels of volcanic ash can lead to the total failure of aircraft engines.

Yesterday, a Virgin Atlantic flight from London Heathrow to San Francisco was diverted away from the volcano as a precaution.

Bardarbunga is Iceland's biggest volcano system

But flights are now operating normally, a spokesman for the airline said.

An eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southern Iceland four years ago produced an ash cloud that led to a week of aviation chaos.

More than 100,000 flights were cancelled.

A spokeswoman for NATS said it was "monitoring the situation" and working with other agencies, including the Met Office and Civil Aviation Authority.

NATS will help determine what impact the eruption will have on UK airspace and advise airline customers accordingly, she added.

Computers show seismic activity from Bardarbunga at Iceland's Met Office

A Met Office spokeswoman said: "We are in close contact with the Icelandic Met Office, but currently they tell us that the eruptions are sub-glacial, so no ash has made it to the surface.

"If ash does make it to the surface, we will run our model which will indicate where any ash would go, and we will inform the CAA and NATS.

"They will then make the decision on how that will affect any air flights."

Minutes before the eruption, Icelandic officials raised the aviation alert to red - the highest level.

The red alert warns that an eruption could cause "significant emission of ash into the atmosphere".

Ash billows from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010

Scientists who flew over the ice cap on Saturday afternoon said they saw no visible signs of the eruption on the surface.

Iceland's Met Office said it is not clear when, or if, the eruption would melt through the ice and send steam and ash into the air.

The ice is between 330ft to 1,300ft thick.

An easyJet spokesman said the airline is preparing to put contingency plans into action, using specialist technology to detect and charter any ash created.

"EasyJet will use this and other data provided by the authorities to determine what, if any, changes it should make to its flying programme," he said.

Flybe said it was monitoring the situation and all of its flights are operating as normal.

Aviation chiefs are confident the industry is much better prepared to deal with the effects of an ash cloud than it was in 2010.

The CAA said improvements in observing and forecasting where ash is and its density have been made, and there is a new radar in Iceland to detect ash in the atmosphere.

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