BBC News, The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Associated Press report on the five Palestinians killed in a shootout with Israeli forces in the West Bank. The gunfight ensued after Israeli troops attempted to arrest the five suspected Hamas militants. The Israeli military has said the suspects were attempting to carry out major terrorist attacks throughout the country. Two Israeli soldiers were seriously injured in the fighting.

The Telegraph reports the Israeli army has warned that Hamas is building ‘thousands of rockets’ and resuming its underground tunnel network. A spokesman for the Israeli military said Hamas has continued “to manufacture thousands of rockets and upgrade their offensive capabilities, including rocket ranges and underground tunnels, attack UAVs [and] naval forces”. These developments come amid rising tensions between Israeli and Palestinian militant forces.

Reuters reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) claims that Iran is failing to fully comply with the agreement regarding the monitoring of the country’s nuclear sites. A statement from the IAEA read: “Director General (Rafael Grossi) stresses that Iran’s decision not to allow agency access to the TESA Karaj centrifuge component manufacturing workshop is contrary to the agreed terms of the joint statement issued on 12 September.”

In the Israeli media, all the papers concentrate on Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s upcoming speech at the UN General Assembly later today. Prior to departing for New York, Bennett told reporters that he looks forward to telling the story of Israel and Israelis to the world in his speech. He added: “We do not define ourselves according to others, not according to Iran and not the Palestinians. I suggest that their leaders deal with their people, in improving their situation, and stop this obsession with the State of Israel.” A senior adviser said Sunday that Bennett will seek to portray Israel as a global player whose expertise can offer solutions to pressing world problems. The speech will also address “Israel’s place in the less sympathetic region we live in, and Israel’s place in the wider global context, where there is good news and there is bad news.” Yesterday evening, Bennett met with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khalifa al-Marar and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani at his hotel in New York. He told them of his government’s outreach to Egypt and Jordan and that both countries support the Abraham Accords.

Maariv and Walla follow reports that the Corona Cabinet will convene this coming Sunday, October 3, after months of inaction. Last week, senior officials in the Ministry of Health harshly criticised the government and Prime Minister Bennett for the continuing high morbidity rate, saying the effect of the third vaccine against Corona has been exhausted as infection rates continue to rise, especially among the unvaccinated who fill the hospitals. More than a million Israelis who qualify to be vaccinated have not yet gotten the coronavirus vaccine. This number includes about 110,000 people 60 and over, and about 90,000 between the ages of 50 and 59. However, researchers from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem say there is a declining trend in infection rates, which according to their forecast will lead to a decrease in the number of serious illness. Contrary to the position of senior health officials, Prime Minister Bennett has decided to continue with the existing corona policy that emphasises vaccination and not to reimpose restrictions on social gatherings.

Yediot Ahronot notes that a senior Hamas housing official said on Sunday the reconstruction of homes in Gaza that were destroyed or damaged in the May conflict will begin in the first week of October using aid from Qatar. He said that Israel had lifted some restrictions on steel and cement entering the territory in recent days. Last week, Egypt began repairing Gaza’s main coastal road, part of a broader plan to revamp Gaza infrastructure. Gaza officials estimate it will take $479 million to rebuild homes and infrastructure damaged in the May fighting. Qatar and Egypt have each pledged $500 million for Gaza reconstruction.

Walla News follows a new grassroot initiatives in the Negev city of Be’er Sheva to stamp out crime and murders after a rise in armed robberies and the death of Ahmad al-Jarjawi in the city over the weekend. The Be’er Sheva municipality is initiating patrols of residents who will walk around the city in order to increase the sense of security. “We understand the fears of the residents, we understand the pain,” said Deputy Mayor Shimon Tobol, who is leading the project. “There is a very strong sense of insecurity. The great pain is that the government is not doing anything about it. Unfortunately the hand of the mayor and the municipality are tied”. Another initiative comes from Michael Lev, a resident of Be’er Sheva, who recently set up WhatsApp groups to help those in real time who are in a situation of danger. “There is no security in the city. People are afraid, women are afraid to walk down the street, the police are present but do nothing,” Lev says, explaining that the groups’ goal is to “reach everyone in distress in real time.” Last night Israel Police carried out a raid in a village in the Negev and arrested several suspects in a series of armed robberies in Be’er Sheva and the area that have occurred recently.

Times of Israel report that the Environmental Protection Ministry is delaying the implementation of a controversial oil deal between the state-owned Europe Asia Pipeline Company (EAPC) and an Israel-United Arab Emirates consortium by limiting the number of Gulf tankers that can dock annually in Eilat to a maximum of six, while the company is seeking a greenlight for 30. The EAPC deal with the consortium provides for the UAE to use Israel as a land-bridge through which to channel crude oil destined for southern European markets. The oil is supposed to arrive in Eilat, on the Red Sea, and to be piped to Ashkelon, on the Mediterranean coast, for loading onto Europe-bound tankers. However, there are concerns about the ecological impact of the EAPC on Eliat’s coral reefs. On Saturday, hundreds of Israelis demonstrated against the deal on roadsides and bridges throughout the country.