In the UK and international press today, the Times, BBC Online and Reuters report that yesterday Israel completed the second phase of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal releasing 550 Palestinian prisoners. The Independent notes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting yesterday spoke out against gender segregation after reports of gender separation on public buses used by the ultra-religious community. Meanwhile, all papers report on the ongoing violence in Cairo, as the military clash with protesters in the streets.

Over the weekend, the Sunday Times reported that Israel announced the formation of an Iran command to control Special Forces operations inside Iran amid growing speculation of a military strike on Iranian nuclear sites. The Guardian noted that Hamas said it would change tactics and move away from violent attacks against Israel in order to reconcile with the Palestinian Authority. The Telegraph carried a piece on life and the situation in Bethlehem. Reuters reports that Syria is close to signing an Arab League proposal aimed at ending the crackdown on protests and to allow for observers to enter the country.

On the Israeli front pages today, all papers note that Israel yesterday released 550 Palestinian prisoners as part of the second phase of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal. Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post note that Israel plans to issue tenders to build 1,028 homes in East Jerusalem and two West Banks settlements. The Jerusalem Post notes that the two prominent Islamist parties in Egypt claim to have secured three-quarters of the vote in the second round of elections.

In other news, all Israeli papers report on the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong il. Haaretz reports that the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court rejected two separate lawsuits seeking to evict two Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan. Haaretz reports that the gas pipeline in Egypt that sends gas to Israel and Jordan was attacked for the tenth time. The paper also notes that the Israeli cabinet approved recommendations of the Trajtenberg committee to lower the cost of living in Israel. The Jerusalem Post reports that the Israel Navy secretly upgraded one of its Dolphin submarines.