Israel says it has brought in special forces to try to wrest control of four sites from Hamas fighters in response to the militant group's unprecedented incursion into Israel.
Israel formally declared war on Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for the surprise attack a day earlier. The Israeli military has tried to crush fighters still in southern towns and intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. More than 1,100 people have been killed and thousands wounded on both sides.
The fighting continued in several locations Monday morning.
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.
Read: Israel's intelligence prowess questioned after Hamas attack
“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 has ordered a “complete siege” on Gaza, saying authorities will cut electricity and block the entry of food and fuel.
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.
Read: The US will send a carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean in support of Israel
Israel and Egypt have imposed various levels of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.
CYPRUS PRESIDENT SAYS COUNTRY’S HOSPITALS READY TO HELP
The president of Cyprus says the island nation’s hospitals are ready to treat anyone wounded from the fighting in Israel.
President Nikos Christodoulides said Monday he conveyed Cyprus’ readiness in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Sunday. Christodoulides said he was “devastated” by what he heard from the Israeli leader, calling the situation “tragic, condemnable and inexcusable.”
He said Cyprus is “ready to act” in any way to help the situation on a humanitarian level. The Cypriot president said he would speak to his Egyptian counterpart on Monday evening.
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.
ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER PUSHES FOR ‘DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION’
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Monday that Rome was working with allies in Washington, Paris, Berlin and London to avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East.
“We need to work to find a diplomatic solution, remaining firm that the Italian government stands by the Israeli people,’’ Tajani told reporters.
Italians leaving Israel due to the violence have begun returning home aboard El Al flights. One arrived Sunday night at Milan’s Malpensa airport.
20 FILIPINOS RESCUED IN ISRAEL; 6 STI
LL MISSING
Twenty Filipinos have been rescued in Israel and six others are still missing following the Hamas militant group’s attack, the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv said Monday. Two of the rescued Filipinos are in hospitals being treated for injuries.
The embassy said it is working “non-stop” with Israeli authorities and community contacts to get more details on the six Filipinos who remain missing.
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.
NEARLY 600 ROMANIANS REPATRIATED FROM ISRAEL IN 2 DAYS
Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says 245 Romanian citizens including two groups of pilgrims have been repatriated from Israel on two separate flights by a commercial carrier. The repatriation on Sunday came after 346 were also flown back to Romania over the weekend, bringing the total number in the past two days to nearly 600 after Hamas launched its unprecedented attacks against Israel.
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.
Read: Israel’s Security Council says country at war with Hamas and authorizes significant military steps
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.”
He said the group has captured “a large number of Israelis” in Gaza, without giving a specific figure. He said Hamas’ military wing, al-Qassam, would announce the figures later.
HUNGARIAN AIR FORCE BRINGS MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE OUT OF ISRAEL
Two Hungarian air force planes carrying 215 people from Israel arrived in Budapest early Monday, according to posts by Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Facebook.
“We thank the authorities of Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania for their cooperation in the swift issuance of the necessary permits for flights,” the foreign minister wrote.
Earlier, Szijjarto said in a video on Facebook that there were 400 Hungarian citizens in Israeli territory, but that there were no known Hungarians who had been killed or injured in the Hamas attacks.
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.
SCHUMER CRITICIZES CHINA FOR NOT SUPPORTING ISRAEL AFTER HAMAS ATTACK
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told China's foreign minister on Monday that he was very disappointed by Beijing's statement on the recent Hamas attack because it didn’t show any sympathy or support for Israel.
“I urge you and the Chinese people to stand with the Israeli people and condemn these cowardly and vicious attacks,” Schumer, who is leading a delegation of six senators to China, told Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Wang, who spoke before Schumer in their opening remarks, did not respond before journalists were escorted out of the room.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement on Sunday called on both sides to exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities. It said that establishing an independent state of Palestine is the fundamental way to resolve the issue.
EL SALVADOR 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.
“I asked them if they have denied any requests that Israel has made, and they said no. I urged them to ensure Israel has everything it needs to protect itself, and reiterated that the Senate stands ready to deliver on additional needs,” he said.
Read: Gunfire, rockets and carnage: Israelis are stunned and shaken by unprecedented Hamas attack
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.
The ministry also said the government continues to monitor the situation of its 13 nationals residing in the Gaza area.
US SENATOR CORY BOOKER SAYS HE WAS IN ISRAEL AT TIME OF ATTACK
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey was in Israel when Hamas attacked Israel, he announced Sunday in a video statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.
Booker said he was jogging in the Old City of Jerusalem on Saturday when he received a call from his chief of staff telling him to return to his hotel immediately. He sheltered in the stairwell of his hotel with other guests. Booker wrote that he is now safe. It is unclear if he has returned to the U.S..
“We who believe in peace and freedom and human rights for Palestinians, for Israelis, for all humankind must reject those who use terror as their weapon,” Booker said.
MORE THAN 123,000 GAZANS NOW DISPLACED, UNITED NATIONS SAYS
The United Nations says the number of displaced Gazans has risen to more than 123,000 as a result of the fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas following the militant group’s unprecedented attack on Israel.
As of late Sunday, retaliatory Israeli airstrikes had destroyed 159 housing units across Gaza and severely damaged 1,210 others, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said a school sheltering more than 225 people took a direct hit. It did not say where the fire came from.
Several Israeli news outlets, citing rescue service officials, said at least 700 people have been killed in Israel, including 44 soldiers. The Gaza Health Ministry said 413 people, including 78 children and 41 women, were killed in the territory. About 2,000 people have been wounded on each side. An Israeli official said security forces have killed 400 militants and captured dozens more.
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.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS, TAKES NO ACTION ON US DEMAND
The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors Sunday to address the unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel, during which the U.S. demanded that all 15 members strongly condemn the incursion. The council didn't take immediate action on the request.
U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood said after the meeting that “a good number of countries,” but not all, denounced Saturday morning’s attack. He said the support of at least one member could be counted out.
Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, told The Associated Press that the U.S. was trying to say at the meeting that Russia isn't condemning the attacks, but “that’s untrue.”
“It was in my comments,” Nebenzia said. “We condemn all the attacks on civilians.”
He said Russia’s message is: “It’s important to stop the fighting immediately, to go to a cease-fire, and to meaningful negotiations which were stalled for decades.”
China’s U.N. ambassador, Zhang Jun, expressed a similar position as he headed into the meeting.
But Wood said the international community must strongly condemn “this unprovoked invasion and the terrorist attacks” until Hamas ends its “violent terrorist activity against the Israeli people.”