The death toll in the conflict, which began Saturday with a surprise attack by Hamas, has surpassed 1,100. The Israeli death toll has risen to at least 700, including 44 soldiers, as the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel was embarking on a “long and difficult war”. In Gaza, which was pummelled by Israeli airstrikes, officials have reported at least 413 deaths.
Latest major developments:
Israeli rescue service Zaka said that its paramedics have removed approximately 260 bodies from a music festival that was attacked by Hamas. Videos posted online showed festival goers running frantically and getting into cars after the attacks.
Spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus posted an update on the IDF’s response online. He said “almost 48 hours into the fighting… the situation in Israel is a dire one” and the death toll will rise.
Up to 100 Israeli hostages, including women and children, may have been taken into Gaza by Hamas, hugely complicating any Israeli military operation to free them. The whereabouts and fate of the captives has become one of the most pressing issues for military planners.
Numerous members of the UN security council denounced Hamas on Sunday but the United States regretted the lack of unanimity. At an emergency session, the United States and Israel urged strong condemnation of the Palestinian Islamists. “There are a good number of countries that condemned the Hamas attacks. They’re obviously not all,” senior US diplomat Robert Wood told reporters after the closed-door session. “You could probably figure out one of them without me saying anything,” said Wood, in a clear allusion to Russia.
Iran helped Hamas plan its surprise attacks against Israel over the weekend, according to senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. US secretary of state, Antony Blinken has however said that Washington had not seen any evidence that Iran was behind the attack and Iran has denied any involvement in the attack. But Tehran has defended Hamas’s assault as a “wholly legitimate defence”.
An Israeli airstrike has killed 19 members of a Palestinian family in a Gaza refugee camp, according to the Associated Press.
The permanent observer mission of the state of Palestine to the UN has issued a response on Sunday to the Israel-Hamas war, saying that “these developments did not occur in a vacuum”. “They are preceded by the killing this year of hundreds of Palestinians … and preceded by decades of Israel’s unrelenting military raids on Palestinian villages, towns, cities and refugee camps,” it said.
US president Joe Biden told the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday that “additional assistance for the Israeli Defense Forces is now on its way to Israel with more to follow over the coming days.” After the call between the two leaders, the White House released a statement, saying: “The President … pledged his full support for the Government and people of Israel in the face of an unprecedented and appalling assault by Hamas terrorists.”
More airlines have suspended flights into Tel Aviv following Hamas’s attacks on Israel over the weekend. Those airlines include Delta, American Airlines, United and Air France.
The UN’s World Food Programme has called on the establishment of humanitarian corridors to deliver food supplies into Gaza following Israeli airstrikes in response to Hamas’s attacks. “As the conflict intensifies, civilians, including vulnerable children and families, face mounting challenges in accessing essential food supplies,” the WFP said.
Israeli troops fought to regain control of the desert around the Gaza Strip and evacuate people from the embattled border area on Monday, as the death toll from the war with Hamas surged above 1,100 by the third day of clashes.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israel on Sunday to prepare for a “long and difficult” conflict a day after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise assault from Gaza, firing a barrage of rockets and sending a wave of fighters who gunned down civilians and took at least 100 hostages.
More than 700 Israelis have been killed since Hamas launched its large-scale attack, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday - the country’s worst losses since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
Gaza officials reported at least 413 deaths in the impoverished and blockaded enclave of 2.3 million people, which was hammered by Israeli air strikes on 800 targets ahead of what many feared may be a looming ground invasion.
Tens of thousands of Israeli forces were deployed to battle holdout Hamas fighters in the south, where the bodies of civilians had been found strewn on roads and in town centres.
“The enemy is still on the ground,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said as a second night fell after the massive opening attack.
People search for survivors among rubble of a building after it was destroyed during an Israeli air strike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock
US president Joe Biden ordered “additional support for Israel in the face of this unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas”.
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington “will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions”.
Austin directed the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier and group of warships to the eastern Mediterranean, and said that Washington was augmenting fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.
Hamas has said the US aid amounted to “aggression” against Palestinians.
The conflict has had global impact, with several other countries reporting nationals killed, abducted or missing, among them Brazil, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Nepal, Thailand and Ukraine.
A US National Security Council spokesperson confirmed that “several” Americans had been killed in the surprise attack, but did not provide further details.
A firefighter works to extinguish the fire after rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip, into the city of Ashkelon, Israel Photograph: Amir Cohen/Reuters
China’s ministry of foreign affairs has reiterated its calls for a two-state solution to address the root causes of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
A spokesperson said:
China is deeply concerned over the current escalation of tensions and violence between Palestine and Israel. We call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation.
The recurrence of the conflict shows once again that the protracted standstill of the peace process cannot go on. The fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent State of Palestine.
The international community needs to act with greater urgency, step up input into the Palestine question, facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and find a way to bring about enduring peace. China will continue to work relentlessly with the international community towards that end.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that Tehran was not involved in one of the bloodiest attacks in Israel’s history when Islamist group Hamas killed 700 Israelis and abducted dozens more.
“The resolute measures taken by Palestine constitute a wholly legitimate defence against seven decades of oppressive occupation and heinous crimes committed by the illegitimate Zionist regime,” Iran’s UN mission said in statement.
Palestinians wave their national flag and celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis in southern Israel on Saturday Photograph: Yousef Masoud/AP
Iran has made no secret of its backing for Hamas, funding and arming the group and another Palestinian militant organisation Islamic Jihad.
The Hamas assault on Saturday, the biggest incursion into Israel in decades, coincided with US-backed moves to push Saudi Arabia towards normalising ties with Israel in return for a defence deal between Washington and Riyadh, a move that would slam the brakes on the kingdom’s rapprochement with Tehran.
“We emphatically stand in unflinching support of Palestine; however, we are not involved in Palestine’s response, as it is taken solely by Palestine itself,” Iran’s UN mission said.
Hamas fighters’ rampage through Israeli towns on Saturday was the deadliest such incursion since Egypt and Syria’s attacks in the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago and has threatened to ignite another conflagration in the long-running conflict.
Iran’s UN mission said the “success” of the Hamas operation was because it was a surprise, which makes it the “biggest failure” of Israel’s security organisations.
“They are attempting to justify their failure and attribute it to Iran’s intelligence power and operational planning,” Iran’s UN mission said.
In response to the Hamas attacks, Israeli air strikes have hit housing blocks, tunnels, a mosque and homes of Hamas officials in Gaza, killing more than 400 people, including 20 children.
A missile explodes in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike Photograph: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
“They (Israel) find it very difficult to accept that in the intelligence community, it is being narrated that they were defeated by a Palestinian group,” said Iran’s UN mission.
At least two Ukrainians have been killed in the conflict in Israel and more remain stranded in the country, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his daily address on Sunday.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s embassy was working with Israeli authorities “to find out the details about Ukrainians who found themselves in the areas of hostilities and shelling”.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Israel, all our diplomats who are in charge of this region, together with the intelligence service, are working around the clock to help all our people who need help. The Embassy has already received more than a hundred appeals from our citizens
Zelenskiy has spoken by phone with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ukraine's president Zelenskiy speaks with Israeli prime minister Netanyahu by phone from Kyiv Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters
US citizens are among civilians taken hostage by Hamas during an assault on Israel launched from Gaza, Israel’s minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer, has said.
Speaking on CNN, Dermer said he believed Hamas had taken “scores of hostages” from Israeli territory into Gaza.
“I can tell you there’s also American hostages as part of that number as well.”
Spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus posted an update on the IDF’s response online. He said “almost 48 hours into the fighting… the situation in Israel is a dire one”.
He said there was “still fighting going on in southern Israel, our troops are still fighting”.
Conricus said the IDF estimated upwards of 1000 Hamas militants entered Israeli territory in the attack on Saturday. He said 700 Israelis had been killed - civilians and military personnel - and more than 2100 wounded. With a “high number of critically wounded people”, more deaths are expected, he said.
“It is by far the worst day in Israeli history. Never before have so many Isarelis been killed by one single thing on one day.”
Drawing a US analogy, he said the weekend’s attack, for Israel, “could be a 9/11 and a Pearl Harbour wrapped into one”.
Conricus said a significant number of Israeli civilians and military personnel had been taken hostage and moved into Gaza. He did not specify a figure, but said “many many Israelis [have been] forcefully taken from Israel”.
He said the IDF military response had two primary objectives in its response to the Hamas attack.
“At the end of this war, Hamas will no longer have any military capabilities to threaten Israeli civilians. .. Hamas will not be able to govern the Gaza Strip.”
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Countries around the world have reacted to a wave of attacks by land, sea and air carried out by Palestinian armed group Hamas that Israel says has claimed more than 700 lives.
The statements by world leaders ranged from outright condemnation of the attacks and strong support for Israel from Western nations, to support for Hamas from some Middle Eastern countries.
Many have called for a de-escalation of the conflict, after Israel launched air strikes and other military operations targeting Gaza that Palestinian authorities say killed at least 413 people.
Here is a round-up of the reactions:
United States
President Joe Biden said US support for Israel was “rock solid and unwavering”.
On Sunday, he ordered US ships and warplanes to move closer to Israel.
Washington also promised to provide munitions and equipment to Israel, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Sunday.
“Several US citizens” were among those killed in Hamas’s surprise attack, according to a US National Security Council spokesperson.
US president Joe Biden Photograph: ABACA/Shutterstock
Iran
President Ebrahim Raisi said on Sunday that Iran supported the Palestinians’ right to self-defence and warned Israel must be held accountable for endangering the region.
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had already backed the attack Saturday, calling it a “proud operation”.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry called for “an immediate halt to the escalation between the two sides, protection of civilians, and self-control”.
United Nations
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Sunday, a day after secretary-general Antonio Guterres urged diplomatic efforts in the Middle East to prevent wider conflict.
Diplomats said the Security Council did not consider any joint statement, let alone a binding resolution, with members led by Russia hoping for a broader focus than condemning Hamas.
European Union
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had already condemned the attack by Hamas on Saturday.
On Sunday, she posted on X, formerly Twitter: “The full scale of the brutality of the Hamas terror attack leaves us breathless.
“Defenceless people, brutally murdered in cold blood on the streets. We stand strong with Israel and its people. Today the EU and Israeli flags fly side by side.”
The full scale of the brutality of the Hamas terror attack leaves us breathless.
Defenseless people, brutally murdered in cold blood on the streets.
“China is deeply concerned about the current escalation of tension and violence between Palestine and Israel,” said a foreign ministry statement Sunday.
Beijing “calls on all parties concerned to remain calm and exercise restraint, cease fire immediately, protect civilians and prevent further deterioration of the situation”, it added.
Russia
Russia’s foreign ministry called for an “immediate ceasefire” and negotiations towards “a comprehensive, lasting and long-awaited peace,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Ukraine
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, whose country is fending off a Russian invasion, said Sunday he had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to offer condolences “for the numerous casualties caused by the terrorist attack”.
He said on Saturday that Israel had an “indisputable” right to defend itself, adding that “terror is always a crime”.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy Photograph: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER/AFP/Getty Images
South Africa
The ruling African National Congress issued a statement Sunday saying: “It can no longer be disputed that Apartheid South Africa’s history is occupied Palestine’s reality.
“As a result, the decision by Palestinians to respond to the brutality of the settler Israeli apartheid regime is unsurprising.”
The statement added that it was clear that “the degenerating security situation is directly linked to the unlawful Israeli occupation”.
France
French foreign minister Catherine Colonna held talks by telephone with several of her counterparts in the Middle East in a bid to “prevent the conflict degenerating” by spreading to other parts of the region, a ministry statement Sunday.
France’s foreign ministry also called for the immediate release of the hostages taken by Hamas.
Germany
German chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday Israel has the right to defend itself against “barbaric attacks” and “to protect its citizens and to pursue the attackers.”
He called Netanyahu to tell him Germany stands “firmly and unwaveringly by Israel’s side”.
German-Israeli nationals are among the hostages taken by Hamas, a foreign ministry source confirmed.
United Kingdom
British prime minister Rishi Sunak said Sunday he had assured Netanyahu of London’s “steadfast support”.
“We will do everything that we can to help. Terrorism will not prevail,” he added in a statement.
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/PA
Turkey
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday urged Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas “to support peace” and refrain from harming civilians.
“There is no good in (attacking) civilians,” Erdogan said. “We are ready to do everything to reduce the tensions.”
Italy
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has called Netanyahu to reaffirm “Rome’s full solidarity” following the Hamas offensive.
“Italy stands by the Israeli people at this difficult time,” said a government statement.
Japan
Japan “strongly condemns” the attacks, foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa said Sunday, as well as the taking of hostages by Hamas.
“Meanwhile, we are seriously concerned about the large number of casualties in the Gaza Strip as a result of attacks by the Israel Defence Forces,” her statement continued, calling for restraint.
Vatican City
Pope Francis on Sunday said that “terrorism and war do not lead to any resolutions, but only to the death and suffering of so many innocent people.
“War is a defeat! Every war is a defeat! Let us pray that there be peace in Israel and in Palestine.”
Pope Francis calls for peace in Israel and Palestine Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
India
Prime minister Narendra Modi said India stood “in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour”.
“Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel,” Modi said.
Venezuela
Venezuela’s government expressed its “deep concern” over the clashes.
In a statement on X, it said the fighting was “the result of the impossibility of the Palestinian people to find in multilateral international legality a space to assert their historic rights”.
Yemen
In Yemen, Huthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa expressed their support for “the heroic jihadist operation”.
In a statement on the website of the Huthi-controlled SABA news agency, the Iran-aligned militant group said the attack “revealed the weakness, fragility and impotence” of Israel.
Major airlines cancelled dozens of flights to Tel Aviv this weekend after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel.
American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates and Ryanair are among those pulling flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.
However, airport authorities did not stop commercial air links with Israel’s second international airport at Eilat, a tourist destination on the Red Sea.
And Israeli flag carrier El Al said Sunday that it was maintaining its Tel Aviv flights for now, though some flights operated by foreign partners had been cancelled.
El Al said it was operating “in accordance with the instructions of the Israeli security forces”, with all flights now departing only from Terminal Three at Ben Gurion.
Like most other airlines, it said clients could change their tickets without charge.
In Athens, the foreign ministry said it was working to repatriate 149 Greek tourists from Israel, and 81 of them were due to arrive back late Sunday on an El Al flight.
After Saturday saw a list of major carriers cancelling flights, Spain’s AENA airports operator told AFP four of nine flights scheduled to Tel Aviv on Sunday had been cancelled, two from Madrid and two from Barcelona.
Another nine flights, from Tel Aviv to airports in Spain, have so far been unaffected, the operator said.
Spain’s Air Europa said it had cancelled its two flights scheduled between Madrid and Tel Aviv, while Iberia Express, the low-cost arm of national carrier Iberia, went ahead with a Madrid-Tel Aviv flight after suspending two on Saturday.
Vueling, the Barcelona-based low-cost airline, said given the situation in Israel, “flights to/from Tel Aviv are affected and experiencing delays”.
A spokesman for Germany’s Lufthansa on Saturday cited “the current security situation” to say it was cancelling all flights to and from Tel Aviv “up until and including Monday”.
Air France said it had halted Tel Aviv flights “until further notice”, and the Air France-KLM group’s low-cost carrier Transavia said it was cancelling all flights from Paris and Lyon to Tel Aviv up to and including Monday.
Italy’s flag-carrier ITA airways cancelled its flight until Sunday morning at the earliest “to protect the safety of passengers and crew”, while Polish carrier LOT scrapped its flights from the Polish capital on Saturday.
Passengers check for cancelled flights at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel Photograph: Debbie Hill/UPI/Shutterstock
US-based United Airlines told AFP its Tel Aviv flights “will remain suspended until conditions allow them to resume.”
It said it had “operated two scheduled flights out of Tel Aviv late Saturday and early Sunday and accommodated our customers, crews and employee travellers who were at the airport.”
Other airlines suspending flights included Aegean, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Wizz Air and Air Canada.
