All dailies and online news sources including The Times, Financial Times, the Guardian, the Independent and the BBC report on the intensifying conflict as Operation Pillar of Defiance enters its third day. Reports describe over 200 missiles and rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel, including the landing of two Fajr-5 rockets just south of the commercial centre of Tel Aviv yesterday. Also covered are Israeli preparations to call up 30,000 reservists. Many dailies cover in detail the death of Mira Sharf, the 26-year-old pregnant woman who was among the 3 killed and 9 injured in the rocket attack on Kiryat Malachi yesterday.

The Times describes today’s visit of Egyptian Prime Minister, Hesham Kandil to Gaza to show his solidarity with the Palestinians while the Financial Times and the Independent discuss how the situation presents a testing ground for the new Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi. The Independent, the Telegraph, the Guardian, the Evening Standard and Metro London, highlight the parallel social media war in which Hamas, Israel and their supporters are using twitter and YouTube to publicise and justify their actions.

The Times and the Daily Telegraph feature an analysis of the context and effectiveness of the Iron Dome anti-missile system. Independent i runs a number of opinion pieces including an analysis of the potential benefits to each side of the conflict. The Guardian notes that Egypt is unlikely to offer arms to support the Palestinians. The Telegraph analyses why the conflict has escalated at this point, and notes Tony Blair, who is the representative to Gaza of the diplomatic “Quartet” urged Hamas to desist from firing missiles.

Yediot Ahronot this morning covers the two Grad rockets that hit Ashdod on Friday and that sites in Gaza were targeted in Israeli strikes overnight. It also reports that the long-range rockets are being fired from bunkers in southern Gaza city, which Israel had refrained from attacking in order to avoid hurting civilians in the first wave of the operation. Yediot Ahronot also states that the Egyptian military has reinforced its troops along the Israeli border over the past two days to prevent terror attacks from spilling over from Sinai into Israel. The paper adds the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has declared a ‘day of rage’ for all the Muslim Brotherhood members in the region, raising the risk of flare ups on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Yisrael Hayom reports Turkey and Egypt’s condemnation of Israel, and the latter’s withdrawal of its ambassador. Yediot Ahronot reports Netanyahu’s offer of a temporary ceasefire during the visit, if the Palestinians also agree to halt their attacks. Yisrael Hayom notes the USA’s wholehearted support for Israel’s right to self-defence.  The same paper praises the Iron Dome’s success at intercepting over 100 rockets so far.

Maariv reports on the thousands of Gazans who attended Jabari’s funeral and the Haifa university students who protested yesterday against operation Pillar of Defense. It also focuses on the heightened likelihood of ground troops following the rocket attacks on Tel Aviv, though it predicts a shorter campaign than the 3 week Operation Cast Lead.

Israel Radio reports that Hamas’ internal ministry building was one of the 130 sites reported by the Palestinians to have been struck overnight. Also hit was the home of Mohammed Sinwar, the commander of the southern Gaza Strip brigade and one of those involved in the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit.