The Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Evening Standard and Independent i all cover the publication in Israel of expenses at the residences of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They include approximately £1,000 on scented candles and other items considered by much of the Israeli media as extravagant, although some noted that the expenses had been reduced since last year and that the residences are used regularly for official engagements.

The Telegraph online reports that the Foreign Press Association in Israel has accused the Israeli army of deliberately targeting photojournalists with rubber bullets and stun grenades during a Palestinian protest at the Qalandiya checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah on Friday. Meanwhile, the Independent i says hundreds of Palestinian youth activists sailed yesterday from the Gaza Strip coast towards and in some cases beyond the six-mile nautical limit, in protest at the restrictions placed by Israel which they say impact the ability to fish, but Israel says is crucial in preventing illegal weaponry from entering Gaza.

The Times reports an Algerian journalist who claims to have been recruited by Mossad and subsequently by the Spanish intelligence service has fled to Spain, but has not yet been granted asylum and is in limbo in the transit area of Madrid airport.

According to the Telegraph, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif has visited Kuwait, Oman and Qatar as part of a diplomatic offensive to improve Tehran’s relations with the Gulf States and ultimately with Saudi Arabia, viewed as a major regional rival to Iran.

The online editions of the Guardian, Telegraph and Independent all report a United Nations’ inquiry has concluded for the first time that there is “massive evidence” that Syrian President Assad is personally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, the Guardian online includes a feature on Jordanian schools in the north of the country which are coming under increasing strain due to the influx of Syrian refugees.

In the Israeli media this morning, Maariv leads with a report that the IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot recently warned European diplomats in Brussels that the belligerent relations between Egypt and Hamas could lead to a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, where there is a serious fuel shortage. Dangot also cited Hamas’ refusal to accept help from the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a reason for the deterioration in conditions.

Makor Rishon previews the visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is expected to arrive in the region tomorrow. At the same time, both Maariv and Israel Hayom report that an aide to Prime Minister Netanyahu has said Israel must seek new alliances, as it can no longer fully rely on Washington. However, Makor Rishon covers comments made by Finance Minister Yair Lapid who reiterated to American television that Israel’s alliance with the United States is a strategic asset.

Israel Radio news says that sources close to Netanyahu have hit back at criticism levelled at him by former-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert earlier this week, who claimed that Netanyahu had been too vocal in criticising the interim deal regarding Iran’s nuclear development. The sources reportedly said Olmert’s administration had been characterised by failure on multiple fronts.