Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor has urged the Security Council to “raise its voice about the roar of rockets” from Gaza.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and president of the Security Council Li Baodong, Mr Prosor, the former Israeli ambassador to Britain, said: “The Security-Council- which often speaks at great length about the welfare of people of Gaza - should finally acknowledge a simple truth: the people of Gaza will face hardship as long as Hamas uses them as human shields to fire rockets into Israeli cities. When it is quiet in Sderot and Be’er sheva, it will be quiet in Gaza.”

He said the council had a “duty to raise its voice” and that Israel expected them to condemn these attacks which have “paralysed the lives of one million Israeli citizens.”

“Today there is not a single civilian good that cannot enter Gaza. Yet as Israel co - operates with the UN to implement a large number of humanitarian projects in Gaza and aid flows into the area, missiles continue to fly out.”