The i reports that a delegation of Saudi Arabian academic and business dignitaries, headed by former-General Anwar Eshki, made a rare visit to Israel, meeting a number of Knesset members and Director General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry Dore Gold. They discussed regional issues and Eshki said that if the Israel-Palestinian conflict were resolved, it would mean that countries which exploit it, such as Iran, would be less able to capitalise on it. He also said that a resolution to the conflict would likely lead to a wider peace between Israel and the Arab world.

The Guardian reports that the Israeli owned online gaming giant 888 has launched a joint bid with Rank to purchase William Hill for £3bn.

Meanwhile, the online editions of the Guardian, Times and Independent all report that four hospitals in the Syrian city of Aleppo have been hit in air strikes during a 24-hour period, carried out by Syrian government and Russian jets. The Guardian online includes a separate report in which the leader of Aleppo city council is quoted calling on the West to stop Russian air strikes on the largely opposition-held city, saying that a humanitarian crisis will otherwise take hold over the city’s 325,000 residents within weeks.

In the Israeli media, the top story in Yediot Ahronot and Israel Hayom is the ongoing trial of Elor Azaria, the soldier accused of having unlawfully killed a wounded Palestinian assailant in Hebron in March. Azaria himself took to the witness stand yesterday for the first time and gave his account of the events, saying that he shot the assailant, fearing that he was armed with a bomb which could be detonated at any moment. Azaria said that he felt let down by his commanders and the IDF hierarchy in the wake of the incident. Haaretz emphasises Azaria’s claim that his commander said that the shooting incident would remain between them unless it became public. Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Yossi Yehoshua concluded that “nothing good can come out of this trial”. The questioning of Azaria is set to continue today.

The top story in Maariv, which is also covered prominently by Israel Radio, is the demand by bereaved families for the prime minister and defence minister to establish a state commission of inquiry into Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014. The families said that an external body should examine the decision-making process, given that the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee has yet to issue a report.

Israel Radio news reports that Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem yesterday. The two leaders discussed regional cooperation over energy resources and the importance of a trilateral political framework between Israel, Cyprus and Greece, which was recently established.