Bishop condemns murder of Israeli teens

Australia has condemned the murder of three Israeli teenagers kidnapped in the West Bank and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.

The bodies of the three missing teenagers were found in a West Bank field more than two weeks after they disappeared.

Five Palestinians were killed and more than 400 arrested in the huge manhunt that followed, and there was a surge in rocket attacks against southern Israel by militants in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has accused Hamas of the teenagers' murder and has vowed to make the Islamist movement pay.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Tuesday urged both sides to refrain from any escalation of violence, saying it would only hinder the peace process between Israel and Palestine.

But she condemned the murder of innocent civilians, and expressed her condolences to the families of the three Israeli teenagers.

"The Palestinian Authority must make every effort to apprehend those responsible for these crimes," Ms Bishop said in a statement.