The Independent i reports that an Israeli reserve soldier was killed yesterday during a knife attack in the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank. 30-year-old father of two Eliav Gelman was attacked at a popular hitchhiking point, which has been the scene of numerous attacks on Israelis during the past several months. An IDF force opened fire as the attack unfolded, but Gelman was struck in the chest and killed, while the Palestinian assailant was wounded. At least 31 Israelis have been killed in near-daily attacks since the start of October.

The Times covers comments made by Gen. Herzl Halevi, head of IDF military intelligence, who warned that the worsening economic conditions in the Gaza Strip increases the likelihood of violent conflict between Hamas and Israel. The article note that since Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014, Israel has facilitated the delivery of 3.5 million tons of construction material to Gaza.

The Independent online reports that Prime Minister David Cameron responded to a question on the Israel-Palestinian conflict in the House of Commons yesterday from a Labour backbencher, reaffirming that he is a “strong friend of Israel,” while reiterating that he does “not support illegal settlements,” including in East Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, the Telegraph online says that a pro-Palestinian group has taken out a full page advert in the Los Angeles Times, urging Hollywood stars to reject the opportunity of a VIP trip to Israel, as part of a goody bag being handed to attendees at the upcoming Oscars awards ceremony.

The Telegraph also covers comments made by Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who said that Iran is building a network of terror “sleeper cells” to attack Western targets in both Europe and the United States.

In Iran itself, where parliamentary and religious council elections will take place tomorrow, the Telegraph and the online edition of the Financial Times report that a crowd at a packed rally in Tehran chanted “Death to England.” Britain was targeted in particular amid claims of interference, after the BBC Persian service reported that three hard-line ayatollahs could lose their seats. The Times reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei called on voters to “stand up to foreign powers” at the polls and to defy a “real plot” by the United States to “infiltrate Iran.”

In the Israeli media, Yediot Ahronot, Maariv and Israel Hayom lead with the death of reserve Captain Eliav Gelman yesterday, following a knife attack in Gush Etzion. All titles note that Gelman was a relative of Benaya Sarel, a soldier killed during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in 2014. Consequently, Yediot Ahronot and Israel Hayom include similar front-page headlines, “Two heroes” and “Family of heroes” respectively. Israel Radio news reports that Minister Ze’ev Elkin was among those to attend Gelman’s funeral last night, saying that the Gush Etzion region is the gateway defending the entrance to Jerusalem.

Maariv and Israel Hayom both report that Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon said in the Arabic media yesterday that Tehran will make payments of several thousand pounds to the families of each Palestinian terrorist killed while carrying out an attack on Israelis. It is estimated that around 170 Palestinians have been killed during the current wave of violence, most while attempting to attack Israelis. Israel Radio news says that Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Danny Danon has demanded that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemn the announcement.

Haaretz and Maariv report that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has approved, with some caveats, a bill submitted by Culture Minister Miri Regev, which would deny state funding to cultural institutions which violate various criteria pertaining to the state, such as incitement to violence or rejection of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Senior Zionist Union leader Tzipi Livni described the bill as part of an “orchestrated campaign by [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to impose blind loyalty, not to the state symbols” but to his government.