Gaza Strip: Captured Soldier Hadar Goldin Believed to be 'British-Israeli' [FIRST PHOTO]

The soldier that has allegedly been captured by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip hours after the start of a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire is believed to be a British-Israeli cousin of Israel's defence minister Moshe Ya'alon, according to British media reports.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that the soldier seized by Hamas was 2nd Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, 23, from the city of Kfar Saba in central Israel.

The IDF said that "a group of Hamas terrorists, including a suicide attacker, kidnapped 2nd Lt. Goldin at 9:30 A.M. and dragged him into a tunnel".

The family of the soldier has been informed, according to the Israeli forces, adding that they will make "big efforts" to locate him.

Channel 4 News and the Jewish Chronicle claimed the soldier was a cousin - either second or third - of Ya'alon, who is Israel's defence minister.

Other sources told IBTimes UK that he is Ya'alon's nephew.

The UK Foreign Office said it was "looking into" reports that Goldin has dual UK-Israeli nationality.

In the alleged capture, the IDF revealed that a Hamas suicide bomber detonated on Israeli soldiers as he exited a tunnel near the southern Gaza town of Rafah.

The revelation comes after a proposed 72-hour ceasefire collapsed in less than two hours, following claims of a Hamas rocket attack on Israel.

The Israeli military retaliated to the "serious incident" with tank shelling in Rafah which killed at least 27 people, according to Palestinian officials.

However, Hamas' military wing released a statement alleging that Israel broke the ceasefire when it entered the tunnel in Rafah. The ceasefire agreement permitted Israel to continue to conduct operations against militant tunnels in the territory.

"Israelis breached the ceasefire and the Palestinian resistance acted in a way that ensures its right of self-defence," said Hamas spokesman Fauzi Barhum.