Denied: Israel and Hamas' five-hour ceasefire after air strike kills four children

The five-hour ceasefire agreement, which came after days of bloodshed, has already been disrupted after Gaza militants fired at least two rockets.

15:14 17 July 2014

Following a day of bloodshed which killed four children on a Gaza beach, Israel and Hamas agreed on a five-hour “humanitarian” ceasefire that started on Thursday at 10am local time. The United Nations-brokered deal will allow Palestinians to restock food, water, and other necessities.

Although Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zhuri has said that they will respect the pause, Israeli police said that Gaza fired at least two rockets, disrupting the ceasefire.

As the death toll rose to at least 227 Palestinians, many are hoping that the 5-hour ceasefire could be the catalyst in putting an end to the bloodshed that has already lasted well over a week.

Israel has previously held fire for six hours on Tuesday after Egypt put forward a ceasefire proposal. However, Hamas formally rejected the plan, bemoaning what Mr Abu Zuhri called 'little support from the Arab world'.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Agence France-Presse: "The news about a ceasefire is incorrect. There are continuing efforts but no agreement until now."

While Nick Clegg condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, US President Barack Obama said he supported Egypt’s continued efforts to restore the 2012 ceasefire and would use all of his diplomatic resources and relationships to secure a deal to end the violence.