BEIRUT, August 01. /ITAR-TASS/. At least 60 were killed and some 200 injured in Rafah by Israeli shelling of south Gaza as a ceasefire agreement collapsed only hours after it started on Friday.

Israel accused Hamas militants of violating the 72-hour truce brockered by US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. An Israeli soldier was allegedly kidnapped in Rafah, a spokesman for the Israeli army told ITAR-TASS.

The ceasefire was to be followed by Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on the conflict resolution in Cairo. However, the Egyptian authorities ruled out the possibility of these talks until the violence stops.

According to Palestinian health officials, some 1,500 people were killed and more than 8,000 injured in Israel's atacks since July 8.