Israel spied on Kerry during 2013 Middle East peace negotiations: Report

A German publication has revealed that Israel's intelligence agencies intercepted the United States Secretary of State John Kerry's calls during 2013 Middle east peace negotiations.

According to Der Spiegel, Kerry's conversations were intercepted at a time when Washington was mediating a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. He was allegedly using phone lines that had not been secured. The calls were therefore, intercepted when signals were being transmitted unencrypted via satellite.

The revelation comes at a time when relations between Israel and the U.S. are tense with the former accusing the White House of favoring Hamas in recent negotiations and forcing a temporary ceasefire eon both sides.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement on Sunday criticizing an Israel missile attack in the Gaza strip that apparently hit a humanitarian facility sheltering 3,000 people displaced from the conflict.

The agency however, did not verify the allegations of eavesdropping on Kerry.