Obama condemns Hamas amid dispute over ceasefire violation

US President Barack Obama “unequivocally condemned” Hamas for “the killing of two Israeli soldiers and capturing of a third in the Gaza strip minutes after a ceasefire was announced,” he said during a press conference at the White House on Friday evening.

"Anybody who’s been watching some of these images I’d like to think should recognize the costs. You have children getting killed... You have Israelis whose lives are disrupted constantly, and living in fear. And those are costs that are avoidable if we were able to get a ceasefire that preserves Israel’s ability to defend itself... and, conversely, an agreement that recognizes the Palestinian need to make a living... to live a decent life."

If Hamas is serious about a ceasefire that soldier “needs to be unconditionally released”, he said referring to 23-year old British-Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin who has been reportedly captured by Hamas.

Meanwhile Hamas officials including Ismail Radwan and Osama Hamdan said the group’s political leadership has no information about a captured Israeli soldier.

Referring back to the failed truce, Obama said: "A ceasefire was one way in which we could stop the killing and to step back to resolve the underlying issues. Israel committed to a 72-hour ceasefire, but it was violated.”

“Innocent civilians in Gaza caught in the crossfire have to weigh on our conscience and we have to do more to protect them.”

“I think it’s going to be very hard to put a ceasefire back together again,” said the US President.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had also blamed Hamas for violating the cease-fire in Gaza and demanded an immediate release of the allegedly captured Israeli soldier.

"The Secretary-General demands the immediate and unconditional release of the captured soldier," said a statement from his spokesman.

The UN chief urged both sides "to show maximum restraint and return to the agreed 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire that tragically lasted such a brief period of time," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry appealed to Turkey and Qatar to intercede with Hamas, while Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called on the United Nations to send observers to the Gaza Strip to monitor ceasefire violations, citing the mutual exchange of blame between Israel and Hamas.

"Both sides will of course blame each other when the ceasefire is broken. There should be UN observers in Gaza and they should make efforts to ensure a lasting ceasefire," Davutoglu told a press conference Friday in Ankara, Turkey.

As the short-lived ceasefire quickly came to an end, subsequent air strikes by Israel killed at least 62 in Rafah, the Gaza health ministry said.

Israeli forces also killed two Palestinians in two separate incidents during clashes in the West Bank as protesters rallied in support of Gaza, medical officials confirmed.

The total number of Palestinians killed so far in the ongoing crisis has reached 1600 while more than 8750 have been injured, said Gaza health ministry spokesman.

While the number of dead and injured is consistently on the rise, 250,000 Gazans have been displaced, the UN confirmed.

The total number of Israeli soldiers killed in the conflict stands at 63 after five were reportedly killed on Thursday.