The United Nations Security Council has called for an immediate ceasefire and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned Israel’s ground offensive area as an “atrocious action”, after the bloodiest day since the latest eruption of the conflict two weeks ago brought the death toll amongst Palestinians to 508.

"The members of the Security Council expressed serious concern about the growing number of casualties. The members of the Security Council called for an immediate cessation of hostilities," Rwandan UN ambassador Eugene Gasana told reporters after an emergency meeting of the 15-member council.

The meeting was convened by Jordan, who proposed a draft resolution which called on Israel to withdraw from Gaza, however the Security Council did not discuss the draft.

The UN said in a report that potential war crimes and human rights violations have been committed by the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and groups allied to it, causing “untold hardship and suffering” to the population under their control.

The report accuses the Iraqi army of committing human rights violations including summary executions and extrajudicial killings of prisoners and detainees, “which may also amount to war crimes.”

The report also says that ISIS is carrying out “large-scale killings, injuries and destruction and damage of livelihoods and property,” according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, including in “markets, restaurants, shops, cafes, playgrounds, schools, places of worship and other public spaces where civilians gather in large numbers.”

Gaza has seen the deadliest day since clashes erupted again, with 87 people reported killed on Sunday. 13 Israeli soldiers were also killed in fighting with Hamas.

The of Shejaiya saw intense shelling on overnight and a two hour 'humanitarian ceasefire' on Sunday, organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross, broke down within an hour of commencing, with both sides blaming each other for the collapse.

Women and children were among the dead, along with a Palestinian paramedic and a cameraman, who died when the ambulance they were travelling in was hit, reported AFP.

Nine government-critical bloggers and journalists have been charged with terrorism in Ethiopia after being accused of receiving financial aid and instructions from “terrorist groups”.

The three journalists and six bloggers, all belonging to the social media activist group Zone 9, are accused of working in collusion with the banned US-based opposition group Ginbot 7 and were held without charge since April.

The Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski, accused Myanmar of using "police state tactics" after five journalists were sentenced to ten years hard labour over a contentious claim of involvement in a weapons factory, AP reported.

World leaders urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine in order to investigate a suspecting shooting down of a Malaysian airlines passenger plane departing from the Netherlands on Thursday.

Calling for a credible investigation and an immediate ceasefire the US president Barack Obama said, "the eyes of the world are on eastern Ukraine, and we are going to make sure that the truth is out."