The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas is covered extensively in all the daily newspapers. As Operation Pillar of Defense enters its sixth day, papers report on the continued targeting of Tel Aviv with Fajr rockets and the 28 people killed in Gaza over the weekend.  The Daily Mail, Times and Financial Times all describe the panic caused in Israel by the rockets, especially in Tel Aviv, whose residents had considered themselves out of reach.  The BBC reports the Israeli strikes on the homes of at least seven senior Hamas officials, while the Guardian reports a Palestinian source that claims that 67 people have been killed since the fighting began.

The Guardian, The Daily Mail, Financial Times, the Telegraph and the International Herald Tribune describe the growing international pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire, following the death of 11 people from the same family, including four young children, in an Israeli airstrike yesterday that targeted a rocket engineer. The BBC reports UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s demand for an immediate cessation of attacks. Dailies also report the apparent breakdown of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Cairo, despite frantic international efforts, and simultaneous build up of Israeli troops on the border.  The Independent and others report Netanyahu’s intention of a ‘significant expansion’ of IDF activities if the rockets do not cease, but the Guardian reports Foreign Minister Hague’s statement that a ground invasion would lose Israel much of its international support. The Independent notes Obama expressing similar sentiment that it would be ‘preferable’ if Israel could keep its ground troops out of Gaza.

The Times features an analysis on the effectiveness of the Iron Dome defence system, which has faced its first real test in this conflict and has proved highly effective at preventing rockets from landing in civilian areas. The International Herald Tribune reports an 80% success rate at interception.

A Guardian poll reveals that a survey of British people has concluded that 72 per cent of them believe in the Palestinian people’s right to have a state of their own, but only 58% were in favour of the UK voting for it in the UN Security Council.

The Daily mail reports that the building used by Sky News, ITV and other foreign media received a direct hit from an Israeli airstrike yesterday. The Independent i report an Israeli statement that more than 44 million attempts to hack into Israeli government websites have been made since the start of the operation.

Opinion pieces in the media include José María Aznar, Chairman of the Friends of Israel Initiative in the Times, Musa Abumarzuq, the deputy leader of Hamas’s political bureau in the Guardian and Robert Fisk in the Independent. The Financial Times features analysis by Efraim Halevy, former head of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, who asserts the need for a strategy for Gaza more than a war. The same paper also explores the conflict between Obama’s Middle East policy and his strategy with respect to China. The Guardian covers the impact of the conflict on West Bank Palestinians, claiming that many are angry at Abbas for suppressing anti-Israel demonstrations, such as the one at the Bet-El checkpoint yesterday, where protestors threw rocks at Israeli soldiers.

In Sunday’s papers, the Telegraph notes a newly emerging power bloc of countries, including Turkey and Qatar as well as Egypt, as power brokers in the post Arab spring Middle East. The weekend Observer criticised the ‘weak and confused’ international response to the current conflict and together with the Sunday Telegraph analysed the changing strategic landscape by comparing the Arab spring in other countries with the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Israeli media reports over 120 rockets have been fired at Southern Israel yesterday, plus 2 towards Tel Aviv. Seven Israelis were injured, including a fire fighter who sustained moderate injuries. Israeli radio news said that a house in the Beer Tuvia received a direct hit on Monday morning but no one was injured. Yedioth Ahronot is reporting a single source from Cairo that claims Israel’s ceasefire terms include the demand for a 15 year lull in attacks. Hamas politburo chief, Khaled Mashaal, is reportedly in Cairo and says the negotiations have reached an ‘important’ phase.

The focus of the Israeli media analysis is on the next stage, ceasefire or escalation. Yedioth Ahronot analysis finds each option equally likely, but notes Egypt’s intensive efforts to re-stabilise the region with international support, mainly due to Egyptian national interest. President Mursi apparently felt his country’s role was undermined when Israel launched the operation at the same time as it allowed Egypt to believe progress on talks was being made. Hence, the US and others are now working to bolster Egypt as a major player in bringing the two sides together.

Maariv claims that the rocket that killed three people in Kiryat Malachi last week landed as a result of a malfunction in the Iron Dome missile defence system. Many media sources describe Hamas’ need for an ‘image’ of success upon which to build a truce. This would explain the breakdown of ceasefire talks in the wake of the Israeli strike that killed the Al-Dalou family.

Israeli radio says that 45,000 reservists have been called up, although Maariv reports that currently the only minister supporting a ground operation is Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz. Makor Rishon states that only Meretz MKs demand a cessation of attacks at this point. Haaretz report that less than a third of Israelis support a ground operation and that public support for Netanyahu and Barak has spiked.

On the diplomatic front, Israeli radio reports French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius appearance in Jerusalem and Ramallah and his country’s support of Egypt’s mediating role. In the next two days Ban Ki Moon, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and the foreign ministers of the Arab League are all expected to visit Gaza. The importance of Qatar is also reported by Yedioth Ahronot, which describes the pressure towards restraint brought to bear on Hamas by the Qatari promise of USD $400m two weeks ago. In addition, Yedioth Ahronot also reports on the diplomatic role played by Jeffrey Feltman, until recently the US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, and currently UN under secretary-general for political affairs and head of the secretary general’s Middle East task force.