1228 GMT — Israel’s response to Gaza will ‘change’ Middle East — Netanyahu
Israel’s response to Hamas in Gaza will “change the Middle East,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.
He was speaking to mayors of southern border towns hit during fighting that began on Saturday, a statement from his office said. It did not elaborate on his prediction.
1223 GMT — Death toll in Gaza rises to 560 as Israel pounds enclave
The death toll in besieged Gaza has risen to 560, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said, as Israel pounded the enclave for the third consecutive day.
The Gaza-based ministry said “560 people were killed and another 2,900 injured” in the fighting that began on Saturday.
1220 GMT — Lebanon urges international community to pressure Israel
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has 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 spiralling of violence that will not benefit anyone,” he said.
1220 GMT — European nations repatriate citizens with flights from Israel
Governments and airlines in Europe have been conducting emergency and regular flights from Israel to bring back European citizens who were in the country when fighting between Israel and Hamas broke out.
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.
Meanwhile, Bulgarian media say a total of 179 Bulgarians and one Croatian citizens were evacuated on the government-organised flights between Sunday night and early Monday.
In addition, 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.
And 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.
1215 GMT — EgyptAir suspends flights to Israel
EgyptAir, Egypt’s national carrier, has suspended its flights to Israel 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 authorised to brief media.
Many carriers suspended flights to and from Israel following the surprise attack by Hamas, Israeli media reported.
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