The Israeli military said it had called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists and was imposing a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, in a sign it may be planning a ground assault in response to the devastating weekend attack by Hamas gunmen. Israeli TV channels said the death toll from the Hamas attack had climbed to 900. In Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israel has killed more than 500 people since Saturday.

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ISRAEL TARGETS GAZA

* After hours of intense bombardment by Israeli jets, Hamas, the Islamist movement which controls Gaza, said it would execute an Israeli captive for every civilian house bombed without warning.

* Inside Israel, Hamas fighters were still holed up in several locations two days after they killed hundreds of Israelis and seized dozens of hostages in a raid that shattered Israel's reputation of invincibility.

* The United States will send multiple military ships and aircraft closer to Israel as a show of support, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

* In a further sign of Israel's rapid shift onto a war footing, a cabinet member from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party said it could set up a national unity government joined by opposition leaders within hours.

* Qatari mediators have held urgent calls to try to negotiate freedom for Israeli women and children seized by the militant group and held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israel's prisons, a source briefed on the talks told Reuters. An Israeli official said no negotiations were under way.

* Israel and Western countries said nothing justified the intentional mass killing of civilians.

* The European Commission said it was putting all of its development aid for Palestinians, worth 691 million euros ($729 million), under review and immediately suspending all payments following Hamas' attack on Israel.

* The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed responsibility for an operation at the Lebanon-Israel border.

AMERICANS, BRITONS DEAD OR MISSING

* The United States said nine Americans were killed in Israel and other US citizens were missing.

* More than 10 Britons are feared dead or missing in Israel, the BBC reported, citing an official source, although foreign minister James Cleverly said he would not speculate on the number of British or dual nationals in the area.

HAMAS PLANNING

* Hamas carried out a careful campaign of deception to pull of its stunning attack, accounts from Hamas and Israeli sources show.

GLOBAL MARKETS ROILED, FLIGHTS SUSPENDED

* Fears of a widening conflict threatened more volatility for investors, adding to uncertainty ahead of corporate earnings season and crucial US inflation data later in the week.

* Oil prices jumped more than 4 per cent, gold gained and the US dollar edged up against the euro as military clashes between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas fueled some worry that the conflict could spread beyond Gaza.

* Tech companies operating in Israel were expected to fortify security as they could face disruptions, said investors and analysts.

* Major international air carriers suspended or reined in flight services to or from Tel Aviv, saying they were waiting for safety conditions to improve.The Israeli military on Monday said it struck hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip overnight and had sent four combat divisions south where it continued to battle the Islamist militants. The death toll from the fighting stands at 1,100.

ISRAEL TARGETS GAZA

* Fighting between Israeli forces and Islamist group Hamas was ongoing at seven or eight locations near Gaza two days after Hamas gunmen killed 700 Israelis and abducted dozens more in the deadliest raid into Israeli territory since Egypt and Syria's attacks in the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago. Hamas fighters also continued to cross into Israel from Gaza, said Israeli military.

* Israeli fighter jets, helicopters and artillery struck over 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza overnight. The Palestinian health ministry said more than 400 people including scores of children had been killed in the attacks since Saturday, which it said also hit housing blocks and a mosque.

* Israel has called in around 100,000 soldiers, said military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus.

* Several Americans were killed by Hamas attackers, a White House National Security Council spokesperson confirmed. Thailand said 12 of its nationals had been killed and 11 kidnapped. Hungary evacuated 215 people from Israel by air overnight

GLOBAL MARKETS ROILED

* Oil prices were up more than $3 a barrel in Asian trade on Monday as the violence deepened political uncertainty across the Middle East and raised concerns about supplies from Iran.

* Several international air carriers have suspended flight services with Tel Aviv in light of the Hamas attack, saying they are waiting for conditions to improve before resuming.

HAMAS PLANNING*Hamas carried out a careful campaign of deception to pull of its stunning attack, accounts from Hamas and Israeli sources show.

UNITED STATES AID

* US President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second straight day on Sunday, offering "my full support for the people of Israel in the face of an unprecedented and appalling assault by Hamas terrorists."

*US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the US will send multiple military ships and aircraft closer to Israel.

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