Israel’s defense minister has ordered a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip following an unprecedented incursion into Israel by Hamas fighters. Israel formally declared war on Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for Saturday’s surprise attack. More than 1,100 people have been killed and thousands wounded on both sides.
Follow all updates as reported by The Associated Press:
Israel taking significant military steps in response to attack
Newslooks- (AP)
Israel’s defense minister has ordered a “complete siege” on the Gaza Strip following an unprecedented incursion into Israel by Hamas fighters.
Israel formally declared war on Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for Saturday’s surprise attack. More than 1,100 people have been killed and thousands wounded on both sides.
The defense minister’s announcement on Monday came as Israel’s military scoured the country’s south for Hamas fighters and guarded breaches in its border fence with tanks while pounding Gaza from the air.
A spokesperson said the Israeli military regained control of border communities taken by Hamas fighters during the attack. But Palestinian militants continued firing barrages of rockets, setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
REPORT: EGYPT SEEKS ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PRISONER TRADE
Egypt has engaged in negotiations with Israel and Palestinian militant groups to release Palestinian women in Israel’s prisons in exchange for Israeli women captured by Hamas militants, the state-owned Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported Monday.
The daily paper quoted an unnamed source as saying that the negotiations were aimed at finalizing an agreement on the trade.
“The Egyptian government is presently awaiting responses from both parties regarding the proposed prisoners exchange and a temporary cease-fire,” Al-Ahram said.
Palestinian militant groups have claimed to be holding over 130 people who were captured in Israel in the past two days. Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua told The Associated Press by phone that the group’s fighters had captured more Israelis as recently as Monday morning.
He said the group aims to free all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, which in the past has agreed to lopsided exchanges.
LEBANON URGES INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO PRESSURE ISRAEL
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday that the tiny country’s priority is to maintain stability along its southern border with Israel following an exchange of attacks between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants over the weekend.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing rockets at three Israeli positions in a disputed territory along the border of the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, before Israel returned fire.
Mikati called on the international community to “take responsibility” in pressuring Israel to return to peace talks under the Arab Peace Initiative. “Anything other than that is a further spiraling of violence that will not benefit anyone,” he said.
Iran-backed Hezbollah has praised key ally Hamas for its unprecedented incursion into Israel but not said if it would attempt to join forces.
Israel has estimated that Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at the country.
EUROPEAN NATIONS REPATRIATE CITIZENS WITH FLIGHTS FROM ISRAEL
Governments and airlines in Europe are conducting emergency and regular flights from Israel to bring back European citizens who were in the country when Hamas fighters attacked.
Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says nearly 600 Romanian citizens, including two groups of pilgrims, were repatriated from Israel on commercial flights over the weekend.
A Bulgarian government aircraft has been sent to Tel Aviv to evacuate Bulgarian citizens stranded in Israel. National carrier Bulgaria Air cancelled its flights to Tel Aviv. canceled its flights to Tel Aviv.
Bulgarian media say a total of 179 Bulgarians and one Croatian citizens were evacuated on the government-organized flights between Sunday night and early Monday.
Two Hungarian air force planes carrying 215 people from Israel arrived in Budapest early Monday, according to posts by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Facebook.
Slovakia’s government plans to send a government plane to Tel Aviv on Wednesday to pick up Slovak nationals.
A spokesman for Greece’s government, Pavlos Marinakis, says 81 of the 149 Greeks registered as having been in Israel over the weekend returned to Athens on Sunday night.
Spain’s Foreign Ministry has urged people not to travel to Israel. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said he expected all Spaniards wishing to leave Israel will have been brought back by later Monday.
RUSSIA EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER ‘SPIRAL OF VIOLENCE’ IN ISRAEL
The Kremlin is “extremely concerned” by the “spiral of violence” in Israel, spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
“We believe that this situation needs to be put onto a peaceful track as soon as possible. And the continuation of such a spiral of violence, of course, is fraught with further escalation and expansion of this conflict. This is a great danger for the region, so we are extremely concerned,” Peskov said.
The Kremlin spokesman added that Russian authorities were not aware of any Russian nationals injured in the conflict.
EUROPEAN UNION CONVENES EMERGENCY MEETING
The European Union is convening an emergency meeting of its foreign ministers to assess the developing violence in Israel, while stressing that the nation had every right to defend itself against the unprecedented incursion by Hamas fighters.
The ministers will organize the Tuesday meeting in Oman, where EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and some EU delegations are attending an EU-Gulf Cooperation Council joint meeting. Others will join by video conference.
“The priority right now is for the aggression by Hamas to stop. The hostages need to be released and we need to see the overall deescalation of the situation,” EU spokesman Peter Stano said.
ZELENSKYY COMPARES HAMAS TO RUSSIA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has drawn a parallel between Russia’s invasion of his country and the Hamas militant group’s incursion into Israel, saying only “rules (and) international law” can ensure peace around the world.
“The same evil, and the only difference is that there is a terrorist organization that attacked Israel, and here is a terrorist state that attacked Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a video address Monday to a NATO parliamentary assembly in Copenhagen.
“Our unity must and can stop the evil,” Zelenskyy said. “Let everyone who sponsors terror feel the power of our wrath. And let everyone who needs help defending themselves against terror feel the power of our solidarity.”
US ENVOY LEADS MOMENT OF SILENCE AT HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
The top U.S. envoy to the Human Rights Council has led a moment of silence to honor the victims of Hamas’ attacks against Israeli civilians and the people killed in an earthquake in Afghanistan over the weekend.
Ambassador Michele Taylor spoke Monday with a “heavy heart,” she said, following the “horrific attacks carried out by Hamas terrorists on Israeli civilians” starting on Saturday.
“The United States unequivocally condemns these heinous acts of terrorism. We extend our deepest condolences to the families affected and express our solidarity with the people and government of Israel in these trying times,” she told the council, the U.N.’s top human rights body.
PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS GATHER IN SYDNEY
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have gathered at the Sydney Opera House and police are advising the Jewish community to stay away.
Around 1,000 protesters on Monday marched 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Sydney Town Hall to the harborside landmark chanting: “Free, free Palestine!” They were surrounded by a heavy police presence. One protester at the town hall rally briefly waved an Israeli flag before fleeing.
The opera house is among several public buildings in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra that were to be illuminated in blue and white — the colors of Israel’s flag — on Monday night in solidarity with the Israelis.
ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER ORDERS ‘COMPLETE SIEGE’ ON GAZA STRIP
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said authorities would cut electricity to Gaza and block the entry of food and fuel there as part of a “complete siege” he ordered.
The announcement on Monday came as Israel’s military scoured the country’s south for Hamas fighters and guarded breaches in its border fence with tanks, while it pounded the Gaza Strip from the air.
Israel and Egypt have imposed various levels of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.2 SRI LANKAN CAREGIVERS MISSING
Two Sri Lankans have gone missing while another has been wounded in the violence in the Gaza Strip, the island nation’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The two missing persons were identified as caregivers. About 8,000 Sri Lankans are employed in Israel and the majority of them work as caregivers.
22 FILIPINOS RESCUED IN ISRAEL; 6 STILL MISSING
Twenty-two Filipinos have been rescued in Israel and seven others are still missing following the Hamas militant group’s attack, the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv said Monday. Two of the rescued Filipinos were treated in hospitals for injuries.
The embassy said it is working “non-stop” with Israeli authorities and community contacts to get more details on the missing citizens.
AUSTRIA TO FREEZE DEVELOPMENT AID FOR PALESTINIAN AREAS
Austria’s foreign minister says his country will freeze development aid for the Palestinian areas following the attack by Hamas on Israel. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told Oe1 radio on Monday that all development aid payments will be “put on ice for now” and that the affected funds are worth around 19 million euros ($20 million).
Schallenberg also said he will summon Iran’s ambassador to the Austrian Foreign Ministry on Monday to complain about the country’s “abhorrent reactions” to the Hamas attack.
On Sunday, Germany’s development minister said her country would review its financial aid for the Palestinian areas. Her ministry put the amount currently pledged at 250 million euros ($265 million) and said no payments are currently being made.
EGYPT AND UAE LEADERS DISCUSS NEED FOR ‘JUST AND PERMANENT PEACE’
The leaders of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates on Monday discussed the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan agreed on “the importance of … advancing diplomatic efforts that aim to de-escalate violence, protect civilians, spare blood,” a statement from the Egyptian president’s office said. Such efforts should include establishing “a comprehensive, just and permanent peace,” it added.
Egypt was the first Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in the 1970s, and shares borders with both Gaza and Israel. The UAE normalized ties with Tel Aviv as part of the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020. The Arab Gulf nation has frayed ties with Hamas.
HAMAS WANTS TO ‘LIBERATE ALL PALESTINIAN PRISONERS,’ IT SAYS
Hamas wants to “liberate all Palestinian prisoners” from Israel and end Israeli provocations in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, particularly at Al-Aqsa Mosque, a spokesman for the militant group said Monday.
Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua told The Associated Press over the phone that Hamas militants were still fighting Israeli forces and had captured more Israelis on Monday morning.
“We are in an open battle to defend our people and the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said. “This battle is linked to the liberation of all Palestinian prisoners and the cessation of this fascist government’s activities in Jerusalem.”
EGYPTAIR SUSPENDS FLIGHTS TO ISRAEL
EgyptAir, Egypt’s national carrier, suspended its flights to Israel on Monday amid fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, Cairo airport officials said.
The flights between Cairo and Tel Aviv are suspended until further notice, said two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media. EgyptAir normally operates a daily flight between Cairo International Airport and Ben Gurion International Airport, just outside Tel Aviv.
Many carriers suspended flights to and from Israel following the unprecedented attack by the Hamas militant group, which rules Gaza, Israeli media reported.
12 THAI NATIONALS KILLED IN ISRAEL FOLLOWING HAMAS ATTACK
Twelve Thai nationals have died in Israel following Hamas’ attack, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kanchana Patarachoke said Monday. Eleven others were taken hostage and eight were injured. The numbers, based on reports from workers and employers in the area, were still awaiting confirmation from Israeli authorities, Kanchana said.
Around 5,000 Thai workers are in the areas around the Gaza Strip, and some have been evacuated to safer areas, the spokesperson said, adding that Thailand’s air force is preparing planes for an evacuation whenever the situation allows. Many Thais work on farms in Israel.
ISRAEL MOVES TO PROP UP ITS CURRENCY AMID MARKET UNCERTAINTY
Israel’s central bank says it will sell up to $30 billion in foreign exchange to prop up the country’s shekel currency following market uncertainty in the wake of Hamas’ incursion from the Gaza Strip.
The central bank issued a statement Monday morning announcing the plan, saying it “will operate in the market during the coming period in order to moderate volatility in the shekel exchange rate and to provide the necessary liquidity for the continued proper functioning of the markets.”
It added it would provide additional liquidity of up to $15 billion in the market as well.
The shekel has fallen to a near eight-year low against the U.S. dollar in early trading Monday.
EL SALVADOR’S PRESIDENT, WHO HAS PALESTINIAN ANCESTRY, CALLS HAMAS ‘CRIMINALS’
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who has Palestinian ancestry, decried Hamas on Sunday after its attack on Israel.
“The best thing that could happen to the Palestinian people is for Hamas to completely disappear. Those savage beasts do not represent the Palestinians,” Bukele said on the social network X, previously known as Twitter. “Anyone who supports the Palestinian cause would make a great mistake siding with those criminals.”
He also compared Hamas to the MS-13 gang, which has terrorized El Salvador for years.
10 NEPALIS KILLED IN VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL
Ten Nepali nationals have been killed in fighting in Israel and at least one more is missing, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said. An unknown number of others were wounded in the violence, it added. Efforts were being made to return the bodies to Nepal and embassy officials were also trying to help citizens who want to leave the country.
US GIVING ISRAEL ALL THE HELP IT NEEDS, SCHUMER SAYS
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says senators were briefed by senior State Department and Pentagon officials and given assurances that the United States was giving Israel “everything they need.”
“I asked the representatives of our Defense Department if they are giving Israel everything they need, and I was heartened that they said yes and that they are surging support,” Schumer said in a statement after Sunday evening’s unclassified briefing.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced earlier Sunday that the U.S. was sending a host of military ships and aircraft to the region. He also said it was providing the Israeli defense forces with additional equipment, including munitions.
INDONESIA EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT ESCALATING CONFLICT
Indonesian officials are urging an end to the fighting between Hamas and Israel and blaming the occupation of the Palestinian territories for the conflict.
The world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel and there is no Israeli embassy in the country. It has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinians, and President Joko Widodo has condemned the airstrikes that Israel has launched in response to Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday.
“The occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel, as the root of the conflict, must be resolved, according to the parameters agreed upon by the UN,” said the statement from Indonesia’s foreign ministry.
ISRAEL WANTS TO REMOVE HAMAS FROM POWER, MILITARY SPOKESPERSON SAYS
One of Israel’s goals as it battles Hamas fighters is to remove the militant group from power in the Gaza Strip, a military spokesperson said Monday.
Jonathan Conricus made the statement in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. His words appeared to go further than those of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu said Sunday that his security cabinet had made the decision to destroy Hamas’ ability to govern in a way that posed a threat to Israeli civilians.
A thousand Hamas militants took part in the initial, unprecedented attack on Israel on Saturday, Conricus said.
“It is by far the worst day in Israeli history,” Conricus said.
