Live: More than 600 Israelis killed, more than 100 held 'prisoner' in war with Hamas

 The Israeli death toll from Hamas’s unprecedented incursion into Israel on Saturday has risen to 600, the Israeli government said on Sunday. The new toll comes as Israel's army said it aims to evacuate all Israelis living close to the Gaza Strip within 24 hours as it deployed tens of thousands of soldiers to fight Palestinian militants who had infiltrated into Israel. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments on the unfolding situation on the Israel-Gaza border. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

3:35pm: Poland to evacuate its citizens from Israel

Poland will send military planes to evacuate its citizens from Israel, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Sunday, a day after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.

"We are sending air force transport planes to carry out the evacuation of Poles currently staying in Israel. Soldiers from our special forces will ensure loading protection and safety on board," Duda wrote on X social media platform.

Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Poland was sending two C-130 Hercules planes to evacuate some 200 Poles from Ben Gurion Airport.

It would add more planes if necessary or liaise with Greece to ferry Polish citizens to the Mediterranean country before bringing them home on Casa transport planes.
3:34pm: US says Saudi, Israel normalization efforts should continue

It is too soon to determine how the attack on Israel unfolded, what possible role Iran may have played, or whether the attack was meant to derail Saudi-Israeli normalization talks, U.S. Deputy National Security adviser Jon Finer told Fox News on Sunday.

"We think it would be in both countries' interests to continue to pursue this possibility," Finer said in an interview on "Fox News Sunday," referring to Saudi Arabia and Israel efforts to normalize their ties.
3:29pm: Gaza death toll in war with Israel rises to 370, says ministry
3:27pm: Disrupting Saudi-Israel ties may have motivated Hamas attack, Blinken says

Disrupting a potential normalization of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia could certainly be part of the motivation for the latest attack on Israel by Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told US media on Sunday.

The United States has also taken note of reports of several Americans killed in Israel and Washington is looking to verify the details and figures, Blinken added in his interview on Sunday with CNN.
3:20pm: US 'likely' to give details on new military assistance for Israel later Sunday, says Blinken

The United States, a close ally and major supplier of arms to Israel, could announce later Sunday new military support for the country following the Hamas attack, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

"We're looking at specific additional requests that the Israelis have made. I think you're likely to hear more about that later today," Blinken told CNN.

"President (Joe) Biden's direction was to make sure that we're providing Israel everything it needs in this moment to deal with the attacks from Hamas."
3:12pm: Major airlines cancel dozens of flights to Tel Aviv

Major airlines have cancelled dozens of flights to Tel Aviv this weekend after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale 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.
3:06pm: More than 100 held 'prisoner' by Hamas, says Israeli government
2:56pm: Two Ukrainians killed in Israel

Two Ukrainians have died during the latest escalation of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, a spokesperson for Ukraine's foreign ministry told AFP Sunday.

"We have confirmed information about the deaths of two Ukrainian women in Israel. Both citizens had been living in the country for a long time," Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said, adding the consulate was in touch with the victims' relatives.
2:45pm: Iran's president speaks to Hamas, Islamic jihad leaders

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi spoke Sunday with leaders of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, official media said, a day after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.

"Raisi discussed the developments in Palestine in separate phone calls with Ziyad al-Nakhalah, secretary general of the Islamic Jihad Movement, and Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the (Hamas) political bureau," state news agency IRNA reported, without giving further details.
2:25pm: British man killed in Hamas attack in Israel, says family

A British man who was serving in the Israeli army died in the attack by Hamas militants, his family said on Sunday, as another man was reported missing.

Nathanel Young, 20, "was killed on the Gaza border yesterday" a family Facebook post said.

Young, who was originally from north London, had been living in accommodation for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers in Raanana, north of Tel Aviv, the Jewish News added.
2:17pm: Israeli media say death toll from Hamas's wide-ranging incursion has risen to 600

Several Israeli media outlets are reporting that the death toll from Hamas’ wide-ranging incursion into Israel has risen to 600.

The Kan public broadcaster and Channel 12, as well as the Haaretz and Times of Israel newspapers, reported the toll Sunday.
1:48pm: Israel's envoy to Turkey says it's too early to talk mediation, calls for end of Hamas presence

Israel's Ambassador to Turkey, Irit Lillian, said on Sunday that it was too early to talk about mediation offers between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas, adding the attacks showed that Hamas should not have any presence in Turkey or elsewhere.

In an online briefing with journalists afterwards, Turkey said it was in contact with all parties and stood ready to de-escalate.

Lillian said Israel's priority was its response to the attack. "Mediation comes at a different point of time. Right now, we are unfortunately counting the dead, we are trying to heal the wounded, we don't even know what is the number of the citizens abducted," she said.

"We want to see all the abducted people coming home and we want quiet and calmness coming back to Israel and the region," she added. "After that, we can talk about mediation and who are going to be the players in this mediation."

The conflict comes as Turkey, which has backed Palestinians in the past, hosted members of Hamas, and supported a two-state solution to the conflict, works to repair ties with Israel after years of animosity.

Ankara does not consider Hamas a terrorist organisation.
1:41pm: Missing British man 'in Gaza' after surprise Hamas attack, says envoy

A British man "is in Gaza" following kidnappings by Hamas in an assault on Israel, the country's ambassador to Britain said on Sunday.

"I know there is one British citizen who is in Gaza at the moment," Tzipi Hotovely told Sky News, without clarifying if he was believed to have been kidnapped. "The Israeli government is doing everything we can to help those who are held hostage and every citizen who is taken is returned," she said.

The ambassador did not name the missing man but the mother of Jake Marlowe, 26, who moved to Israel from Britain two years ago, said she had not heard from her son since the attack.

She said he had been providing security at the rave party in the desert near Kibbutz Reim close to the Gaza border that was attacked.

"He is missing, we don't know for sure that he is taken hostage or dead or in a hospital," said an embassy spokesperson.
1:06pm: Hezbollah tells Palestinian militants 'our guns and rockets are with you'

Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said his group's "guns and rockets" were with Palestinian militants who carried out a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday that left 250 Israelis dead.

"Our history, our guns and our rockets are with you. Everything we have is with you," Safieddine said at an event in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh on Beirut's outskirts in solidarity with the Palestinian fighters.
1:02pm: British citizen missing after Hamas attack on music festival in Israel

A British citizen is missing after the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked a music festival near Gaza, Israel's embassy in the United Kingdom said on Sunday.

Jake Marlowe, 26, went missing early on Saturday, the embassy said.

His mother, Lisa, told Jewish News that he was providing security at a party and that she had last heard from her son via text message.

"He was doing security at this rave and called me at 4:30am to say all these rockets were flying over," she said. "Then, at about 5:30am, he texted to say, 'signal very bad, everything OK, will keep you updated I promise you,' and that he loves me."

Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom, told Sky News earlier that a British citizen was in Gaza.

But she did not identify the name of the individual. "I know that Israel is doing everything to make sure all the people being kept hostage at the moment in the hands of Hamas will be released," she said.
12:47pm: France strengthens security around synagogues, Jewish schools

Security has been stepped up around synagogues and Jewish schools in France in light of this weekend's attacks on Israel by the Islamist group Hamas, French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said on Sunday.

"We have stepped up security at places of worship and at the schools," Borne told BFM TV.

"There is no specific threat at this stage, but we will remain extremely vigilant," she added.
12:21pm: Air France flights to Tel Aviv suspended, says French prime minister

Air France has suspended its flights to Tel Aviv following Saturday's attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

"Air France has suspended its flights for the time being," French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne told BFM TV on Sunday.
12:17pm: Arab League chief heads to Moscow for talks after Hamas attack on Israel

Arab League Chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit headed to Moscow on Sunday for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the situation in Gaza after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years.

Aboul Gheit, who served as Egypt’s foreign minister during the final seven years of Hosni Mubarak’s rule, will discuss the "ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip," said a spokesman for the Cairo-based league of Arab states.

After Hamas's attack on Saturday, Russia expressed grave concern, calling on both Palestinian and Israeli sides to cease violence and blamed the West for blocking the Middle East Quartet.

Moscow said that a proper negotiation was necessary to provide for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of 1967 with a capital in East Jerusalem.
12:15pm: Pope calls for end to attacks in Israel-Gaza war

Pope Francis called for an end to attacks and violence in Israel on Sunday, saying terrorism and war would not solve any problems, but only bring further suffering and death to innocent people.

"War is a defeat, only a defeat. Let's pray for peace in Israel and Palestine," the pope said in his weekly address to the faithful in St. Peter's Square.

On Saturday, a multi-pronged attack by Palestinian gunmen on Israeli towns left at least 250 Israelis dead, with more than 300 Palestinians killed in Israel's retaliatory bombardment.
11:29am: Two Israeli tourists, one Egyptian shot dead in Alexandria

Two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide were shot dead on Sunday in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, the Israeli foreign ministry said.

A policeman alleged to have carried out the shooting in the Sawari district of Alexandria was in custody, two Egyptian security sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

One Egyptian was injured in the shooting, the first such attack on Israelis in Egypt in decades. The Egyptian interior ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

The shooting happened one day after an attack against Israel by Islamist group Hamas, for which Israel vowed "mighty vengeance" in response. Hundreds of Palestinians and Israelis have been killed.

11:21am: Israel expected 'stronger condemnation' of Hamas from China, says Beijing embassy official

Israel expected to see a "stronger condemnation" of Hamas from China, a country it views as its friend, Yuval Waks, a senior official at the Israeli embassy in Beijing, said on Sunday.

"When people are being murdered, slaughtered in the streets, this is not the time to call for a two-state solution," Waks told reporters.

China's foreign ministry earlier on Sunday urged the relevant parties to remain calm and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians, adding that "the fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent State of Palestine".
11:19am: Palestinian Authority calls for emergency Arab League meeting

The Palestinian Authority submitted a memorandum on Sunday calling for an emergency Arab League meeting at the foreign ministerial level, according to WAFA, the Palestinian news agency.

The request for the meeting comes in light of the "brutal and ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, including the escalation of the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by thousands of settlers", WAFA quoted Arab League Ambassador Muhannad Al Aklouk as saying.
11:10am: Hamas may be holding a 26-year-old Franco-Israeli

The Palestinian militant group Hamas may have kidnapped a 26-year-old French-Israeli man on Saturday morning after launching their unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel, said French politician Meyer Habib on Sunday, who represents the Eighth constituency for French residents overseas, which includes Israel.

"A 26-year-old Frenchman, Avidan T, from Bordeaux, was probably kidnapped in southern Israel by Hamas while attending the music festival," a rave party in the desert targeted by the assailants, Habib said on X, formerly Twitter.  

"He may be being held by the terrorists. His family, his father, with whom I spoke at length, have not heard from him" since Saturday morning, he added.

10:10am: Israel says it will evacuate residents near Gaza within 24 hours

Israel's army said Sunday it aims to evacuate all Israelis living close to the Gaza Strip within 24 hours as it deployed tens of thousands of soldiers to fight Palestinian militants who had infiltrated into Israel.

"Our mission for the upcoming 24 hours is to evacuate all residents living around Gaza," military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters, adding that fighting was still on to "rescue hostages" held by militants in Israel.

"There are tens of thousands of combat soldiers in the area. We'll reach each and every community till we kill every terrorist in Israel."

9:43am: Gaza death toll in war with Israel rises to 313, says ministry

The death toll in the Gaza Strip rose to 313 Sunday, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said, as the army carried out air strikes on Hamas targets for the second consecutive day.

The Hamas-controlled ministry said another 1,990 people had been wounded in the fighting that began on Saturday after Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel in a surprise dawn assault.
9:38am: Israeli military official says 'hundreds of terrorists' killed, dozens captured in Hamas battles

An Israeli military official says "hundreds of terrorists" have been killed and dozens captured amid ongoing fighting with Hamas militants in Gaza and southern Israel.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari spoke to reporters on Sunday, more than 24 hours after the Palestinian militant group launched an unprecedented assault into Israel, killing hundreds of people and taking captives back into blockaded Gaza as the group launched thousands of rockets.

Israel is battling militants in the south and launching air strikes across Gaza that have leveled buildings.
8:36am: Qassam brigades says its fighters are still engaged inside Israel

Hamas's armed wing said on Sunday that its fighters are still engaged in fierce clashes in several sites inside Israel.

The statement by Qassam Brigades said fighting continues in several areas bordering the Gaza Strip including Ofakim, Sderot, Yad Mordechai, Kfar Azza, Be'eri, Yatid and Kissufim.
7:51am: Indonesia calls for an end to Israeli-Palestinian violence

Indonesia, a long-time supporter of the Palestinian cause, said on Sunday it was deeply concerned about the escalation of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and called for the violence to end.

"Indonesia is deeply concerned with the escalation of conflict between Palestine and Israel. Indonesia urges the immediate end of violence to avoid further human casualties," the Indonesian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Indonesia has consistently voiced support for the Palestinian struggle to gain independence.

"The root of the conflict, namely the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel, must be resolved, in accordance with the parameters agreed upon by the UN," the statement said.

The world's most populous Muslim-majority nation has also said it had no interest in opening diplomatic ties with Israel.

7:22am: Hezbollah claims rocket, artillery attack on Israeli-occupied Shebaa farms

The armed group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a rocket and artillery attack on the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms on Sunday, saying it was "in solidarity" with the Palestinian people.

The group said in a written statement that the attack targeted three posts including a "radar site" in the Shebaa Farms, a slice of land occupied by Israel since 1967 that Lebanon has claimed as its own.

Israel responded on Sunday with artillery fire on southern Lebanon.
7:12am: Israeli military says at least 26 soldiers killed in unprecedented Hamas attack on country’s south

Israel’s military said Sunday at least 26 soldiers have been killed in an unprecedented attack by the Hamas militant group on the country’s south.

The figure is part of a death toll of over 300 people, the deadliest attack against Israelis in decades.
6:57am: Israeli army fires artillery on southern Lebanon

The Israeli army said it fired artillery on southern Lebanon on Sunday in response to a shot from the area.

"Israeli artillery is in the process of striking the area of Lebanon from which a shot was fired," said a statement, which was issued shortly before 7:30am (04:30 GMT) and did not give any further details about the attack.
5:40am: China says 'deeply concerned' over 'escalation' of violence between Israel, Palestinians

China said on Sunday it was "deeply concerned" by the weekend's dramatic escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, urging all sides to show "calm".

"China is deeply concerned about the current escalation of tension and violence between Palestine and Israel," Beijing's foreign ministry said.

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 said.

China said Sunday that "the repeated clashes between Palestine and Israel fully demonstrate that the long-term stagnation of the peace process is unsustainable".

"The fundamental way out of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the implementation of the 'two-state solution' and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," it added.
4:15am: Israel faces a 'long and difficult war', warns Netanyahu

In a televised address Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who earlier declared Israel to be at war, said the military will use all of its strength to destroy military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

But he warned, “This war will take time. It will be difficult."

“All the places that Hamas hides in, operates from, we will turn them into ruins," he added.

“Get out of there now," he told Gaza residents, who have no way to leave the tiny, overcrowded Mediterranean territory of 2.3 million people.