World Leaders Wait For MH17 Smoking Gun

Ironically what the crisis needs now is a smoking gun - quite literally.

Whilst America has stopped short of specifically blaming Russia  for the loss of nearly 300 lives on flight MH17, it has accused Moscow of fomenting the turmoil in the region. 

President Obama and other world leaders are holding fire until they have absolute proof that separatists fired missiles given to them by President Putin.

And that's why this is so complex diplomatically. 

The separatists deny firing at the Malaysia Airlines plane and Russia says Ukraine is responsible for the tragedy by ramping up its attempts to wipe out the rebels in the east of the country.

And until there is real proof this crisis will remain a murky mess.

Unless the international community takes bold steps which go beyond sanctions against President Putin, convinced his hands have blood on them, there will be no justice.

It would seem that President Putin is playing the defiant innocent, he won't even admit backing the separatists of eastern Ukraine.

Russia is accused of supplying pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine

Weeks of strident anti-Ukraine propaganda have now been replaced now by unusual silence for one so bullish and vocal.

This is the biggest crisis between East and West since the end of the Cold War.

But if the West is to truly act decisively then it needs proof of who fired the missiles and that will come from a full investigation of the crime scene – and that appears to be being hampered by the rebels. 

Representatives from the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) have been denied access to the crash sight. 

There are reports of looting and that raises question marks about whether it will be too late by the time international investigators are given full control of the scene.

The US says it will wait for the facts about what has happened, but it can't wait too long for fear of being accused of letting down the victims of and their families.   

The downing of a passenger jet – whether accidental or deliberate – is like a bad dream.  

But if Moscow's fingermarks are found on the missiles then what may follow is the stuff of nightmares. 

The question is whether Russia will step away from the rebels, settling instead for its gains in Crimea. If it does a serious diplomatic crisis can be averted.

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Israeli Troops Fight Hamas Militants On Border

Israeli troops have clashed with Hamas militants on the Gaza border, with reports of some heavy fighting inside Israeli territory.

The military wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al Qassam Brigades, said some of its fighters were "behind enemy lines" and were involved in gun battles with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) near the Gaza border fence.

In a statement, it said: "The Qassam Brigades carried out an operation behind enemy lines.

"Heavy fighting is ongoing with the forces of the occupation."

Israeli soldiers were injured during firefights in the north of the Gaza Strip and security alerts were issued on parts of Highway Four in southern Israel on Saturday, according to Ynetnews.

A statement from the ISraeli military said two soldiers were treated in hospital.

"Earlier today, terrorists attempted to execute an attack against Israelis. The attack was foiled by an IDF force," it said.

"Several terrorists infiltrated into Israel from the central Gaza Strip through a tunnel.

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have continued into a 12th day

"They were aiming to carry out a lethal attack in one of the nearby communities when they came upon an IDF force patrolling the vicinity."

On Saturday, the Israeli military said troops discovered 13 tunnels into Israel in the first 24 hours of its ground operation in Gaza.

It also said it has hit 2,350 targets in Gaza, including 1,100 rocket launchers, in 12 days of fighting.

Engineers are concentrating on a 1.5-mile buffer zone and are looking to destroy tunnels dug since the last major fighting in 2012.

Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said: "We have struck hard on the two main strategic assets of Hamas: the rockets and these tunnels."

Ashraf al Kidra, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman, said airstrikes on Friday night raised the death toll in the offensive to more than 310 Palestinians.

One Israeli soldier and one civilian have also been killed over the past 12 days.

Israel began the ground operation on Thursday after rockets were fired into Israel. It has said the offensive could last for up to two weeks.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called for an "urgent" truce and renewed support for the Egyptian truce proposal.

The proposal was previously rejected by Hamas.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to leave for the Middle East later on Saturday to help mediate in the Gaza conflict.

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Rebels Accused Of Taking Bodies From Wreckage

Pro-Russian separatists have been accused of removing 38 bodies from the Malaysia Airlines crash scene and attempting to destroy evidence at the site.

The Ukraine government said "terrorists, with the help of Russia, are trying to destroy evidence of international crimes", adding it had obtained data which showed bodies had been taken to a morgue in Donetsk.

However, Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay, at the scene, said there were reports rebels had moved bodies on Friday, but body parts were now officially being removed by Ukraine emergency services.

Ukraine's Security Council said 18sq km of the 25sq km had been explored and 186 bodies found.

The fresh claims came amid discussions between the two factions over the creation of a "security zone" around the crash scene following allegations of looting and evidence being compromised, but no deal has been reached.

"Deep concerns" have been raised by Malaysia about the investigation into the disaster as a team of 30 international observers complained of being confronted by aggressive armed rebels, blocking their access to the crash site for a second consecutive day.

Ramsay said: "I know in the past shots have been fired as warnings."

Security monitors speak to a separatist at the crash scene

Critically, the monitors have been unable to speak to anyone about the whereabouts of the jet's two black box voice and data recorders.

Ukraine said they had not been handed over to Kiev and it had no information about them.

Alexander Borodai, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, denied rebels had shot down the plane, or found or moved the black boxes.

Malaysia's transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said on Saturday "the integrity of the site has been compromised and vital evidence has not been preserved".

The debris was scattered over a wide area

"Any actions that prevent us from learning the truth about what happened to MH17 cannot be tolerated. Failure to stop such interference will be a betrayal of the lives that we lost," he said.

His comments came as Interpol and Europol said they were sending teams to the crash site to identify victims.

A Malaysian disaster response team has arrived in Kiev, with six air accident investigators from Britain due in the capital later.

Reports of looting have also emerged as victims' bodies and belongings remain strewn across the area two days after the crash.

A children's toy lies among the passengers' possessions

Sky's Michelle Clifford, in Donetsk, said: "These reports are gaining currency about looting, that valuables, credit cards are being taken from bags from the wreckage, and in some cases from bodies.

"I think we should also see these reports in the context of a propaganda war. It may be part of a narrative to discredit the rebels.

"But, I have just spoken to a contact I trust and he said with his own eyes he saw the rebels taking money and valuables from luggage at the site."

British victims Richard Mayne, Ben Pocock, Glenn Thomas and Liam Sweeney

Some 298 people, including 10 Britons and 80 children were killed when flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was brought down near Grabovo, Donetsk, where Ukrainian forces have been battling separatists.

Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the disaster.

Reports suggested pro-Russian separatist commander Igor Strelkov had made bizarre claims bodies at the crash site had been there for days.

However, postings on his VK.com account, Russia's version of Facebook, show he actually questioned this: "Version with a plane full of corpses, exciting, of course, but somehow can not see sense."

:: The Foreign Office has set up a helpline for anyone concerned.  Text MH17 to +447860010026, or call 020 7008 1500. Malaysia Airlines's emergency line is 00 6 037 884 1234.

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Israel Ready To Expand Gaza Ground Assault

Israel's military is ready for a "significant expansion" of the Gaza ground offensive that has already claimed at least 24 lives.

The offensive began on Thursday night with the aim of destroying the weapons arsenal, infrastructure and underground tunnels used by Hamas, Israeli officials claimed.

An Israeli soldier and at least 23 Palestinians have already been killed in the operation, according to Palestinian officials.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: "My instructions are to prepare for the possibility of significantly widening the ground operation, and the military is preparing accordingly."

Smoke billows in Gaza after an air strike on Friday

Mr Netanyahu said a ground assault was the only way to infiltrate Hamas' underground network.

On Friday lunchtime the Israeli Defence Forces reported they had "engaged and killed 17 terrorists".

Their tweet continued: "13 other terrorists surrendered to us and were taken for questioning.

"We have also targeted 21 rocket launchers & 4 tunnels. Our forces are continuing to operate with precision in order to achieve their goals."

Israel confirmed 20-year-old Sgt Eitan Barak had been "killed fighting Hamas terrorists". The country's media is investigating the possibility he was a victim of so-called friendly fire.

Sgt Eitan Barak, killed in fighting overnight. Pic: Israeli Defence Force

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri called the ground offensive "foolish", adding that Israel would suffer "dreadful consequences".

Four members of one family in Khan Younis were among the dead, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said.

Gaza health officials said the 23 killed in the operation included a three-month-old boy who died after a shell hit his family's Bedouin tent in southern Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel claimed 50 rockets were fired from Gaza overnight - 25 slamming into its territory.

Those injured in explosions and fighting are arriving at hospitals in Gaza

Israeli tanks and troops moved into Gaza following a 10-day campaign of more than 2,000 airstrikes that had failed to halt Hamas rocket fire on Israeli cities.

It is the first major Israeli ground offensive in Gaza in just over five years.

The army has confirmed that a draft of 18,000 more reserve soldiers has been authorised by the government.     

Mr Netanyahu's chief spokesman Mark Regev told Sky News the decision to launch the offensive had not been taken "lightly" but that action needed to be taken to "protect our citizens".

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires towards the Gaza Strip

He said the chance of a truce is now very unlikely "because Hamas rejected the ceasefire proposal supported by Egypt".

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal told the AFP news agency that the operation was destined to fail.

"What the occupier Israel failed to achieve through its air and sea raids, it will not be able to achieve with a ground offensive. It is bound to fail," Mr Meshaal said from his exile in Doha.

The ground campaign followed a brief truce on Thursday in which Israel held fire to allow Gazans to stock up on food and other necessities.

Israel's anti-missile defence system in action on Friday

Some 264 Palestinians have been killed since fighting began 11 days ago, with another 2,000 injured, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

Figures provided by the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights show that civilians account for more than 80% of the victims of Israel's assault since July 8.

Israel has confirmed two of its citizens have died.

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Inside Gaza: Constant Airstrikes And Shelling

The sound of airstrikes from above and artillery fire from the sea is constant in the Gaza Strip after Israel launched a major ground offensive, Sky's Sherine Tadros reports from inside the Palestinian territory.

More than 100 targets were hit in the first 10 hours of the assault - which Israeli authorities say is aimed at Hamas and other groups who have been firing rockets at Israel - and Palestinians fear this could be "just the beginning of the ground assault".

Tadros said smokescreens were visible in northern Gaza, indicating that Israeli tanks could be as far inland as 3-4 miles (5-7km).

Israeli troops crossed the border into Gaza overnight

"We've also been seeing Palestinian rocket fire coming from the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel, so that is clearly also continuing," she said.

"Palestinian fighters are trying to make the point they are still here and they are still fighting."

The Israeli military spent the early hours of the assault moving through the buffer zone along the Israel-Gaza border, Tadros said.

A deserted street in Gaza as Israeli forces continue their ground operation

The Israeli authorities said they were clearing tunnels that they claim Palestinian militants use to try to infiltrate Israel.

"Israel says it is targeting terror tunnels but Palestinians really don't know what that means," Tadros said.

Overnight, power outages across the Gaza Strip left many areas in darkness.

Palestinian authorities say the majority of casualties are civilians

"It started in the northern part about 20 minutes or so before we heard the ground operation was under way," Tadros said.

She said flares fired from the Israeli side of the border were used to light up parts of the territory - a move that was then followed by renewed artillery fire or guided missile strikes. 

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Ukraine-Russia Row Over Who 'Shot Down' Plane

Moscow has hit back after the Kiev government claimed pro-Russian separatists shot down a passenger plane, killing all 298 people on board, including 173 Dutch and nine Britons.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur at an altitude of 33,000ft (10,000m) when contact was lost on Thursday afternoon in eastern Ukraine close to the border with Russia.

It came down near the village of Grabovo, Donetsk in an area where Ukrainian forces have been fighting the rebels.

An emergency worker at the scene of the crash

An adviser to Kiev's interior ministry said the Boeing 777 was hit by a Buk ground-to-air missile and its president Petro Poroshenko called it an "act of terrorism".

But the Russian defence ministry has reportedly pointed the finger at its neighbour, saying it picked up radar activity from a Ukrainian Buk missile system south of Donetsk when the airliner came down.

Glenn Thomas was among the victims of the tragedy

Sky's Katie Stallard said: "That doesn't correlate with the geography. This was a plane flying over territory that the Ukrainian government would perceive as friendly. Territory that they control.

"It is a slightly counterintuitive suggestion that they would perceive that aircraft as a threat when it is heading away from their friendly airspace and towards the Russian border."

Flames rise from wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines jet

Separatist leader Alexander Borodai said Ukrainian government forces were responsible, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said: "The state over whose territory this occurred bears responsibility."

However, a US official said Washington strongly suspected it was brought down by a surface-to-air missile fired by rebels.

And the Ukrainian security council said no missiles had been fired from the armouries of its armed forces.

Among the British victims were 49-year-old Glenn Thomas, a media officer at the World Health Organisation, who was described as a "wonderful person and a great professional".

Two Newcastle United fans John Alder and Liam Sweeney, who were travelling to see their football team play in New Zealand, also died, according to reports.

Flight MH17 taking off at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands

The cockpit and one of the turbines were over half a mile apart, and residents said the tail was six miles away, indicating the aircraft most likely broke up before hitting the ground.

Many of the bodies strewn across the fields were largely intact – some of them were still strapped into their plane seats. People who live in the area have described seeing bodies falling through the sky.

Pro-Russian separatists said they found one of the "black box" recorders and rescue workers have recovered a second flight recorder.

The last known location of flight MH17

There were 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. Among the victims were three infants.

Britain has joined the US and other countries in calling for an international probe into the disaster. US President Barack Obama has said it should be "prompt, full, credible and unimpeded".

US Vice-President Joe Biden said the jet appeared to have been deliberately "blown out of the sky".

Armed Russian separatists inspect the wreckage

Stallard said Igor Strelkov, the commander of the pro-Russian Donetsk People's Republic, appeared to have boasted about the incident on social media.

In one deleted message recovered by Sky News, he allegedly wrote: "We warned you not to fly over our sky."

The wreckage was scattered over a wide area

Ukraine's security service also released what it claimed was a recording of an intercepted phone call between two Russian military intelligence officers, discussing the downing of the plane.

Malaysia Airlines, still reeling from the loss of flight MH370, has said the route taken by flight MH17 had been declared safe by civil aviation authorities.

A distressed woman waits for information in Kuala Lumpur

:: Malaysia Airlines has set up an emergency line for worried relatives: 00 6 037 884 1234.

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Putin: Sanctions Could Cause 'Serious Damage'

Vladimir Putin has warned a fresh wave of sanctions will take US relations with Russia to "a dead end" and damage America's business interests.

The US and the EU have stepped up measures over what is viewed as Russia's interference in Ukraine.

President Barack Obama has imposed the most wide-ranging sanctions yet, targeting major banks, energy and defence firms including Gazprombank and Rosneft Oil Co.

Steps are also being taken to prevent rebel groups and senior officials in Ukraine getting hold of funds.

"Sanctions have a boomerang effect and without any doubt they will push US-Russian relations into a dead end, and cause very serious damage," Mr Putin said.

Mr Obama announces fresh wave of sanctions

"And I am convinced that this will harm the national long-term interests of the American state, the American people."

Mr Obama said the US measures were "significant but targeted".

"I've repeatedly made it clear that Russia must halt the flow of weapons and fighters across the border into Ukraine.

"So far, Russia has failed to take any of the steps that I mentioned."

Meanwhile, EU leaders meeting in Brussels agreed a more limited package.

They agreed to impose asset freezes against around 11 more individuals but said measures will be expanded significantly at the end of July to cover "entities and persons" helping to undermine Ukraine's "sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence".

The European Commission will also "reassess and potentially suspend" co-operation programmes with Russia.

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'Three Gaza Strikes Hit Israel During Truce'

Three mortar shells were fired from Gaza two hours into a temporary truce, Israel's military said, as video emerged of Palestinian militants tunnelling under the border.

No one claimed responsibility for the mortars which landed in the southern Israeli region of Eshkol.

There were no reports of injuries or damage, and it was unclear if Israel would retaliate.

The mouth of the Hamas tunnel spotted by Israeli forces

Sky's Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay, in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, said of the apparent broken ceasefire: "Israel has said once Hamas broke the original ceasefire, there's no more negotiating. What does that mean?

"Does Israel really consider going in and try to smash Hamas with a ground attack? That's very dangerous for Israel."

The attacks came after Palestinian police said three civilians were killed when Israeli tank shells landed on a house in Gaza minutes before the truce.

An Israeli cannon fires artillery shells into Gaza on Thursday morning

Fighting continued right up to the start of the fragile ceasefire which began at 10am local time (8am UK time).

A further four people were wounded in the attack on the southern Gazan town of Rafah, according to medics, while the Israeli military said 15 rockets were fired into Israel this morning.

The truce came into force hours after Israel said it had foiled an attack by 13 Palestinian gunmen who tunnelled in from Gaza.

A spokesman said the Hamas fighters were identified some 250 metres inside Israel and were struck by aircraft.

A home Palestinians say was destroyed by an Israeli strike before the truce

He said at least one militant was killed and the remaining fighters returned to Gaza through the tunnel, which they had been digging for some time.

They were heading towards Sufa kibbutz, a small community about a mile away, when they were spotted. 

It is the second time Palestinian fighters are reported to have infiltrated Israel from Gaza. Last week four were killed as they attempted to enter from the sea.

Around 230 Palestinians have been killed during 10 days of fighting, while one Israeli has died.

Gaza City (foreground) and the Israeli city of Ashkelon (background)

Both sides have been holding indirect talks in the Egyptian capital Cairo and reportedly agreed to a second ceasefire at 4am local time (2am UK time), an Israeli official said.

They agreed to halt fighting for five hours on humanitarian grounds on Thursday to allow aid to get through and for people to shop for provisions.

Israel said it would stand by the agreement despite the infiltration - but warned the attempted attack "could have had devastating consequences" as the Palestinian fighters were armed with "extensive weapons", including rocket-propelled grenades.

Four children were killed in an Israeli strike on a Gaza beach on Wednesday

The brief truce comes after four Palestinian children from the same family, aged nine to 11, were killed on Wednesday when a shell landed on a beach they were playing on.

Gaza's health ministry described the attack as "cowardly", while the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) promised a full investigation and said the deaths appeared to have been a "tragic outcome" of a strike aimed at Hamas militants.

Tensions in the region have been inflamed following the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teenagers and the suspected revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager.

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Russian Jet 'Shoots Down Ukrainian Warplane'

A Russian jet has shot down a Ukrainian fighter plane in the east of Ukraine, according to a military spokesman in Kiev.

Ukraine's national security and defence council said on Twitter: "A military plane from the air force of the Russian Federation carried out a rocket strike on a Ukrainian airforce (Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot fighter plane) as it fulfilled its task over the territory of Ukraine."

The pilot of the downed fighter jet managed to eject and was later evacuated by Ukrainian forces, the military said.

It is the strongest Ukrainian allegation to date of direct Russian military involvement in the three-month conflict.

Russia's defence ministry declined to comment on the claim.

It is the third reported incident this week in which a Ukrainian plane has been hit by a missile.

Kiev said that an An-26 military transporter was brought down last Monday, likely by a missile fired from Russia.

Two out of the eight people on board that plane were killed.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, another Su-25 was hit by a rebel missile but the pilot brought the plane down successfully.

Kiev did not allege Russian involvement in that case.

Moscow denies orchestrating rebellion in eastern Ukraine, but Western governments accuse it of failing to do enough to curb the violence.

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Palestinians Urged To Leave Homes As Truce Fails

Israel's military has urged tens of thousands of Palestinians living in northern and eastern Gaza to leave their homes.

The move could signal more airstrikes are planned for those areas after Israel warned the ruling Hamas militant group would "pay the price" for rejecting a ceasefire plan.

Israel says it will "expand and intensify" its offensive as aerial assaults resumed on Tuesday after being briefly suspended following its acceptance of the Egypt-brokered truce.

Video footage showed thousands of leaflets urging Palestinians to evacuate being dropped in the skies above Gaza.

People carry their belongings among building debris in Gaza

Airstrikes on Wednesday reportedly targeted the homes of four senior leaders of Hamas.

Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets in the first six hours of the ceasefire plan which led to Israel restarting its strikes in Gaza - that has a population of 1.7 million.

The fresh raids hit Gaza City, southern Khan Younis, Rafah and central Johr al Deeq, killing five people, reported the AFP news agency.

Leaflets were dropped warning of IDF strikes in Gaza

Israel has confirmed its first death of the week-long conflict - a man who was delivering food to soldiers suffered fatal wounds when a Hamas rocket struck the Erez crossing on the Gaza border.

The Israeli military has told residents of the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya and the Gaza City neighbourhoods of Shijaiyah and Zeitoun in automated telephone calls to leave their properties.

Sami Wadiya, a resident of one of the areas likely to be targeted, said he would not leave his home. "We know it's risky, but there are no secure places to go to."

Prior to the calls, the raids have already prompted around 17,000 people to flee their homes, particularly in northern Gaza, with many taking refuge in UN schools.

Hamas officials said they had not been consulted on the ceasefire proposal and would not halt violence without a fully-fledged deal including Israeli concessions.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

More than 190 Palestinians, including many civilians - some children - have been killed by the bombardment over the last week and the Israelis say the raids are designed to stop rocket fire from Gaza.

Since July 8, Gaza militants have fired more than 1,200 rockets at Israel - hundreds of which have been intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system - while Israeli aircraft have struck close to 1,700 times.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "It would have been preferable to have solved this diplomatically, and this is what we tried to do when we accepted the Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire.

"But Hamas leaves us no choice but to expand and intensify the campaign against it."

He added: "Hamas chose to continue fighting and will pay the price for that decision. When there is no ceasefire, our answer is fire."

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the movement had not been consulted on the truce bid.

"We didn't get to see the Egyptian proposal except through the media," he said.

"The idea of halting fire before there is any agreement on the conditions laid out by the resistance is unacceptable and we reject it."

Hamas has said it wants the end of Israel's blockade of Gaza and the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt as part of a truce deal.

It also wants Israel to free Palestinians it re-arrested after releasing them in a 2011 exchange for an Israeli soldier held by Gaza militants for more than five years.

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