Israel’s stock market sank 6.5% on Sunday, a day after Hamas fighters from the Gaza Strip launched the deadliest attack in decades.
Egypt’s stock market also fell 2.6%, and Saudi Arabia’s market was down 1.6%.
Israel’s government formally declared war on Hamas on Sunday, opening the door for a massive retaliation after the surprise attack that left a total of 900 people dead and thousands more injured, the Associated Press reported.
In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was up 1.58% on Friday, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 0.3%.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the nation was “embarking on a long and difficult war that was forced on us by a murderous Hamas attack.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, making the rounds on the Sunday talk shows, told CNN’s State of the Union that there are reports some American citizens had been killed or taken hostage by Hamas and that the department was working to confirm.
About 600 people have been killed in Israel, the AP reported, while Palestinian health authorities said at least 370 have been killed in Gaza since Saturday.
Write to Liz Moyer at [email protected]
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