Outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel draws international concern, condemnation

The sudden outbreak of war between Hamas fighters and Israel has spurred reaction from nations near and far and concerns for the civilians caught in the middle.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday his country is at war, following a barrage of rocket attacks and surprise infiltration of its borders by Hamas militants. The attack began in the early morning, amid a Jewish holiday known as Simchat Torah. Israel's national rescue service said at least 200 people were killed and 1,100 wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in decades.

In response, the Israeli military struck targets in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 232 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed and at least 1,700 wounded in Israeli strikes.

Western nations quickly condemned the Hamas incursion and reiterated their support for Israel, while others called for restraint on both sides.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he told the Israeli prime minister that Washington was ready to offer "all appropriate means of support." 

"Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. The United States warns against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation," Biden said in a statement.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said "these acts of violence are completely unacceptable" and that Canada stands with Israel and supports its right to defend itself.

United Nations Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland condemned the attack on Israel, warning in a statement: "This is a dangerous precipice, and I appeal to all to pull back from the brink."

In the Middle East, Egypt warned of "grave consequences" and called for "exercising maximum restraint and avoiding exposing civilians to further danger."

Saudi Arabia, which has been in talks with the U.S. about normalizing relations with Israel, released a statement calling on both sides to exercise restraint.

The kingdom said it had repeatedly warned about "the dangers of the situation exploding as a result of the continued occupation [and] the Palestinian people being deprived of their legitimate rights."

Meanwhile, King Abdullah II of Jordan called for intensifying international efforts to stop the escalation of the latest violence.

A statement from the Royal Palace says Abdullah spoke to Biden about ways to stop the conflict from escalating and ways to protect civilians.

Abdullah warned that continued escalation would have negative repercussions on the region and stressed the need for restraint, the protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law.

Turkey strongly condemned the loss of civilian lives in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, saying it was ready to help de-escalate the situation before it spreads across the wider region.

European support for Israel

In Europe, German Chancellor OIaf Scholz said his country stands beside Israel, a sentiment echoed by the Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak posted on social media that he was shocked by the attacks and that "Israel has an absolute right to defend itself."

In Vienna, the Israeli flag was raised at the Austrian chancellor's office and Foreign Ministry in a gesture of solidarity.

French President Emmanuel Macron similarly condemned the attack against Israel and said he'd discussed the situation with Netanyahu, as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other regional leaders.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, likewise recognized Israel's right to defend itself "against such heinous attacks," as did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who condemned what he called a "terrorist attack" on the country.

Kenya, Australia and Japan voiced similar support.

"We repudiate the planners, funders and implementers of this heinous attack. While Israel has a right to retaliate, a peaceful path to resolving this unfortunate development is urged," Korir Sing'oei, principal secretary at Kenya's Foreign Affairs Ministry, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In a statement posted on X, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong condemned "the attacks on Israel by Hamas including indiscriminate rocket fire on cities & civilians" and called for the attacks to stop.

Japan strongly condemns rocket launches and cross-border attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups into Israeli territory, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

The ministry said Japan urges all parties to exercise utmost restraint to prevent further harm.