The Israeli cabinet on Sunday officially declared a state of war in the country due to Palestinian attacks. "The security political cabinet approved the state of war, and therefore the conduct of major military operations, in accordance with Article 40 of the Basic Law of the government," Netanyahu's office said. Israeli media confirmed on Sunday that the number of settlers killed by fire from Palestinian factions in Gaza has risen to 659 dead and more than 2,040 injured. The Israeli newspaper "Jerusalem Post" said that 100 Israeli soldiers and civilians were captured. The Israeli health ministry said in a report that 2,048 injured people had been taken to hospitals as of two o'clock on Sunday afternoon. The report indicated that among the injured, there were 20 critical cases, 330 serious cases, 396 moderate cases, 967 minor cases, 45 panic cases, and 181 injuries that were undergoing medical review. Earlier reports said that between 300 and 400 people were killed and more than 1,800 injured among Israelis as a result of the attack launched by the "Hamas" movement at dawn on Saturday on Israeli cities and settlements in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip resulted in 370 martyrs and 2,200 injured. In this regard, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi received phone calls from King Abdullah II of Jordan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Charles Michel, president of the European Council, and German Chancellor Olaf Schulz. The phone calls dealt with the situation of the security and military escalation at the Palestinian-Israeli level. President Al-Sisi stressed the importance of stopping the ongoing escalation and exercising restraint on all sides, as the matter involved serious risks to the lives of civilians and the security and stability of the region. Al-Sisi reviewed the ongoing Egyptian moves with all regional and international parties in this regard, with the aim of unifying and harmonizing efforts, sparing the region from further factors of unrest and instability, to advance the efforts of a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution in accordance with international law and relevant resolutions of international legitimacy. In another context, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received phone calls on Sunday from Antonio Tajani, the minister of foreign affairs of Italy, and James Cleverley, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom (UK) in the framework of following up on the developments of the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip. Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, revealed that Minister Shoukry stressed during the calls the importance of working to stop the ongoing escalation by all means, and to prevent the situation from sliding into more violence and human suffering and putting civilians' lives at risk. Shoukry explained that Egypt had repeatedly warned of the occurrence of this painful scenario due to the absence of prospects for a solution and settlement and the continuation of Israeli aggressions against Palestinian property and rights. The Foreign Minister also reiterated the importance of intensifying international efforts and coordination between all parties involved to advance the path of calm. He urged them to exercise maximum restraint and prevent entering into a vicious circle of armed confrontations, stressing the grave risks of this matter to innocent civilians, and its consequences on security and stability in the region. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday that the United States will deploy an aircraft carrier group near Israel, which includes the aircraft carrier Ford and the ships supporting it. Austin added that the US will provide ammunition to Israel and that its security assistance will begin to move on Sunday. "The Pentagon will also send fighter jets to the region," Austin concluded.
