Israel Imposes 'Complete Siege' On Gaza Strip After Hamas Attack. Death Toll Rises To 1400 — Top Points

Israel's declaration came on the same day as its troops combed the country's south for Hamas fighters and defended border fence breaches with tanks while bombing Gaza from the air.

Police officers check suspects at a check point, searching for Hamas militants from Gaza strip.

Following an unprecedented assault on Israel by Hamas fighters, Israel's defence minister has declared a "complete siege" on the Gaza Strip, news agency Associated Press reported. On Sunday, Israel formally declared war on Hamas and authorised "significant military steps" in retaliation for Saturday's surprise strike. Around 1,400 Israelis and Palestinians are dead two days after Hamas launched an attack that caught Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence apparatus completely off guard and led to fierce battles in its streets for the first time in decades. The United States has verified the deaths of nine of its citizens. The defence minister's declaration came on the same day as Israel's troops combed the country's south for Hamas fighters and defended border fence breaches with tanks while bombing Gaza from the air.

Top Points

1. According to the US State Department, at least nine American citizens were murdered in the weekend Hamas strikes against Israel, bringing the total to nine from four. According to the State Department, an unspecified number of American citizens are still missing and unaccounted for. It is unclear if the missing were kidnapped, killed, or are hiding.
2. Major airlines have cancelled flights to Israel after the country declared war in response to a huge Hamas strike. American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines all cancelled flights after the US State Department issued travel warnings for the region, citing the possibility of terrorism and civil disturbance.
3. Egypt is negotiating with Israel and Palestinian militant organisations to exchange Palestinian women in Israeli jails for Israeli women taken by Hamas terrorists, according to the state-owned Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, AP reported. According to an unidentified source reported in the daily tabloid, the conversations were aimed at finalising a trade deal.
4. Following an exchange of assaults between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants over the weekend, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday that the tiny country's priority is to maintain peace along its southern border with Israel.
5. The Kremlin is "extremely concerned" about the "spiral of violence" in Israel, according to spokesperson Dmitry Peskov 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.
6. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has drawn a connection between Russia's invasion of his country and Hamas's foray into Israel, claiming that only "rules [and] international law" can maintain global peace. “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.
7. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated on Monday that Rome is collaborating with partners in Washington, Paris, Berlin, and London to avoid escalation of the Middle East war.
8. Following Hamas' attack on Israel, Austria's foreign minister says his nation would halt development funding to Palestinian communities. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told Oe1 radio on Monday that all development aid payments will be "paused for the time being," with the money affected totaling roughly 19 million euros ($20 million).
9. According to Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 245 Romanian individuals, including two groups of pilgrims, were returned from Israel on two different commercial planes. The repatriation on Sunday comes after 346 people were flown back to Romania over the weekend, increasing the total number of people repatriated in the previous two days to over 600 since Hamas unleashed unprecedented strikes on Israel.
10. According to a Hamas official, the militant organisation aims to "liberate all Palestinian prisoners" from Israel and put an end to Israeli provocations in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, particularly at Al-Aqsa Mosque.