The escalation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza is covered by all major dailies in the UK. Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defence, which began with a targeted airstrike killing Hamas’ military commander, Ahmed al-Jabari, features prominently in The Times, Guardian, the Telegraph, Financial Times and the Independent. The Daily Mail highlights that al-Jabari is the most senior Hamas official to be killed since Israel’s Operation Cast Lead saw ground troops in Gaza four years ago. The Financial Times characterises the strike as the first wave of a new campaign, and reports the rise in oil prices due to uncertainty in the region. The Independent highlights Israel’s massing of ground troops on the border in preparation for possible further action and runs an editorial examining past occasions of Israel’s targeted killings of terrorists. The Daily Telegraph also covers preparations in Israel for further conflict, including among the civilian population, and includes a story on Jabari’s career as a Hamas ‘general.’ The Guardian also sees the strike as part of a new coordinated offensive on Gaza, and the editorial highlights the risks in a new round of fighting between Israel and Hamas. All print dailies explore how the current situation makes peace talks more difficult – the Times claims the strike is “another obstacle” to talks and the Independent projects that it will “rebound” on Israel. The BBC online features a picture of al-Jabari escorting Gilad Shalit to freedom after five years in captivity and a video of the aftermath of the strikes in Gaza with a claim that one baby has been injured in the strikes.

In other news, the Financial Times online reports Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s call for Abbas to be deposed as Palestinian President if he persists with the application for recognition at the UN as a non-member “observer state”.

The Israeli media also focuses on reporting the strikes and analysing their impact. Yediot Ahronot labels it a “brilliant opening move” and notes the importance of the follow-up strikes that targeted Hamas’s arsenal of Iranian Farj 5 missiles, which are capable of hitting Tel Aviv. Maariv focuses on the choice of the prominent Jabari as a clear indication of the end of a policy of restraint and speculates about the role of the military action in the context of upcoming Israeli elections. Haaretz reporting notes that 4 million people are potentially in range of the rockets and Israel Hayom covers the approximately 115 rockets fired towards Israel since the strike, approximately half of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome system. Yediot Ahronot online reports that three Israeli civilians have been killed in a rocket attack in Kiryat Malachi. It also notes that Obama communicated his support for Israel’s right to self-defence following the strike.