A Palestinian boy reacts next to a burning Israeli vehicle that Palestinian gunmen brought to Gaza after they infiltrated areas of southern Israel, in the northern Gaza Strip October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into several Israeli towns with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
Israel said it was on a war footing and began its own strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza, with Israeli media reporting gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in southern Israel.
Here is global reaction.
The U.S. “unequivocally condemns” attacks by Hamas and stands with the government and people of Israel, broadcaster CNN reported on Saturday, citing a statement from the spokesperson.
“Over the coming days the Department of Defense will work to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from indiscriminate violence and terrorism,” Austin said in a statement.
“This is a dangerous precipice, and I appeal to all to pull back from the brink.”
“Terrifying news reaches us today from #Israel. We are deeply shocked by the rocket fire from Gaza and the escalating violence. Germany condemns these attacks by Hamas and stands by Israel,” Scholz said on social media.
Macron strongly condemned the attacks.
“I express my full solidarity with the victims, and their families and those close to them,” Macron wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves against the “terror of settlers and occupation troops”, the official news agency WAFA quoted Abbas as saying.
The foreign ministry called for an “immediate cessation of violence”, the state news agency reported.
“We are following the unprecedented developments between a number of Palestinian factions and Israel occupation forces which has led to a high level of violence on a number of fronts”.
Egypt warned of “grave consequences” from the escalation, in a statement from the foreign ministry carried by the state news agency. It called for “exercising maximum restraint and avoiding exposing civilians to further danger”.
“The UK unequivocally condemns the horrific attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians. The UK will always support Israel’s right to defend itself,” Cleverly said in a social media post.
“I unequivocally condemn the attack carried out by Hamas terrorists against Israel. It is terrorism in its most despicable form. Israel has the right to defend itself against such heinous attacks,” she posted on X.
“We follow with anguish the news coming from #Israel. We unequivocally condemn the attacks by Hamas. This horrific violence must stop immediately. Terrorism and violence solve nothing,” Borrell posted on X.
“This attack is having a horrific impact on Israeli civilians,” Volker Tuerk said in a statement. “Civilians must never be the target of attack.”
He called on Israel to avoid civilian casualties in its response.
“We call for restraint from all parties,” Erdogan said at a congress for his ruling AK Party in Ankara.
The foreign ministry said Israel alone was responsible for the ongoing escalation of violence with the Palestinian people. It said Qatar calls on both sides to exercise utmost restraint.
Oman’s state news agency quoted an official statement urging the international community to “intervene immediately to stop the ongoing escalation and resort to the rules of international law”.
“Just spoke with Prime Minister @netanyahu about the unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel. I told him that the Netherlands unequivocally condemns this terrorist violence and fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself,” Rutte said on social media.
Russia is in contact with Israel, the Palestinians and Arab countries in connection with the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Interfax news agency reported, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
“It goes without saying that we always call for restraint,” he said.
Zelenskiy condemned what he called a “terror attack” on Israel. In remarks on the Telegram messaging app he said Israel’s right to defend itself “cannot be doubted”.
The Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, an arch foe of Israel, said it was in “direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance”. It described events as a “decisive response to Israel’s continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalisation with Israel”.
“I strongly condemn Hamas’ ongoing attacks on Israel. This baseless aggression and acts of violence, especially against civilians, are unacceptable. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by these terrible events,” Rau wrote on X.
“The attack conducted from the Gaza Strip is a deplorable act of terrorism against the State of Israel and the civilian population,” Pavel said in a statement
“The rocket attacks and the infiltration of Hamas commandos into Israel will block any efforts for a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for a long time.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postponed a trip to the Czech Republic, a long-time Israel ally, following the hostilities, the Czech presidential office said.
Schallenberg strongly condemned what he called a “cowardly and underhand” attack by Hamas.
“Israel has the right to defend itself against this barbaric terror,” he said in a statement. “This attack goes beyond what we have seen in recent years. This is an entirely new dimension.”
“We firmly condemn the terrorist attacks launched by Hamas against civilians. Israel has the right to defend itself.
These attacks will solve nothing, they will only make the situation worse. Israel has our full solidarity and condolences for the victims,” Cravinho posted on X.
“The Italian government is closely following the brutal attack taking place in Israel. It condemns in the strongest terms the ongoing terror and violence against innocent civilians. Terror will never prevail. We support Israel’s right to defend itself,” it said in a statement.
“We call for an immediate end to the violence and for the protection of civilians,” the department said on X.
“Belgium strongly condemns the massive rocket attacks against Israeli civilians. Violence and terror only perpetuates suffering and hinders the path to dialogue. Our thoughts are with all those affected. We are monitoring the situation closely,” she said on X.
“Greece strongly condemns today’s launch of heavy rocket attacks from Gaza against Israel. Greece stands with Israel and is deeply concerned by this unacceptable escalation of violence,” the ministry posted on X.
“The UAE calls for the exercise of maximum restraint and an immediate ceasefire to avoid serious repercussions,” the official news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying.
