The United States on Sunday reiterated its position to stand with Israel as it saw one of the deadliest attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday over its central and southern region. Hamas fired over 5,000 rockets and went on a rampage in several towns killing at least 250 Israelis coinciding with the Jewish holidays of Shemini Atzeret.
“The United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back,” said President Joe Biden in a statement on Sunday.
“Let me say this as clearly as I can. This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage,” he earlier said in a post on X adding his administration’s support for Israel’s security “is rock solid and unwavering.”
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also said that his country stood “unequivocally” with Israel denouncing the attack by Hamas as “cowardly and depraved.”
“We have expressed our full solidarity to @netanyahu and will work with international partners in the next 24 hours to co-ordinate support,” said Sunak.
French President Emmnanuel Macron condemned the attacks and said that France is committed to the security of Israel and Israelis and their right to defend themselves.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attacks on Israel “pre-planned” saying: “Our position is crystal clear: anyone who causes terror and death anywhere on the planet must be held accountable.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian PM Anthony Albanese upheld Israel’s right to defend itself.
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China Urges To Exercise Restraint
China said it was “deeply concerned about the current escalation of tension and violence between Palestine and Israel," and called on all parties concerned to “remain calm and exercise restraint".
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned the attack and reports of abduction by militants. He also said that Japan is "deeply concerned" over casualties in Gaza, and called for all the parties to exercise maximum restraint in a post on X.
Nepal PM Pushp Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ condemned the attacks and said nine Nepalis were injured while Sri Lanka expressed its concerns and said that one Sri Lankan sustained minor injuries
"The Sri Lanka Missions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah are monitoring the situation closely and are in contact with Sri Lankans living in the affected areas," said the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Turkey called on Israelis and Palestinians to act with restraint and refrain from hostile acts that could exacerbate the situation.
“We call for restraint from all parties,” said Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, adding “They must refrain from aggressive acts.”
Iran Back Hamas, Qatar Holds Israel Responsible
Meanwhile Iran expressed support to Hamas. Rahim Safavi, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei referred to it as a "proud operation" during a meeting in Tehran dedicated to supporting Palestinian children, according to AFP. He emphasised that Iran backs this operation and believes it has the support of the broader resistance front.
Qatar held Israel “solely responsible” for the ongoing escalation and pressed the need for the international community to act urgently to compel flagrant violations of international law.”
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia called for an immediate halt to the ongoing escalations and also recalled its "repeated warnings" of the dangers of the explosion of the situation due to continued occupation.
In a statement, Riyadh said it was closely following the developments of the "unprecedented situation between a number of Palestinian factions and the Israeli occupation forces, which has resulted in a high level of violence on several fronts there."
Egypt and Jordan called for self-restraint with Cairo warning of the repercussions and Amman stressing "the necessity of stopping the dangerous escalation in Gaza and its surroundings."
Iraq said it stood by people of Palestine saying "the operations carried out by the Palestinian people today are a natural result of the systematic oppression they have been subjected to for many years at the hands of the Zionist occupation authority, which has never adhered to international and UN resolutions," in a post on X.