The international community has condemned Hamas' initial attack on Israel, which has claimed nearly a hundred lives in Israeli territory, which has been followed by hours of bombing in Palestine, with nearly 200 dead.
On a Saturday marked by clashes, the UN has called for an end to violence and the escalation of the conflict, while the EU has urged the release of Israelis who have been taken hostage. Messages of support for Israel have been reiterated from the US and President Joe Biden has recognized its "right to defend itself."
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for "diplomatic efforts to avoid an escalation" of the clash between Israel and Hamas. Guterres has stated that he is "deeply concerned for the civilian population", calling for "greatest restraint", according to a press release.
The Hamas attack has also been condemned from the US. President Joe Biden has conveyed his support to his Israeli colleague and has recognized his "right to defend himself." US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier that he would work to ensure Israel "has what it needs to defend itself" and protect its civilians from "indiscriminate violence and terrorism."
The president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, denounced the “senseless” attack by Hamas against Israel. "This violence is neither a political solution nor an act of bravery. It is purely terrorism. The European Union stands with Israel," she added. Hours earlier, the high representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed himself in similar terms and requested the immediate release of the Israelis kidnapped in the attack as it was a practice "contrary to law." international".
For his part, the acting President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, launched this Saturday from Granada a "message of peace, harmony, coexistence between different peoples, religions, civilizations." French President Emmanuel Macron noted that he has been in contact with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "France stands in solidarity with Israel and the Israelis," the president said in a message published on X. Messages of the same style have come from Germany and other European countries.
Russia has called for restraint on both sides. "We have to understand what is happening, why, what the consequences will be," declared Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. "It was an unexpected escalation. If we had known we would have prevented it," he told the Russian agency Interfax.
On the Arab front, Saudi Arabia called for an "immediate cessation" of the "unprecedented" escalation. "The kingdom asks for restraint from both sides, calls for an immediate cessation of escalation and to protect civilians," she added. Qatar, the largest Arab supporter of Palestine, today asked the Palestinians and Israel to exercise "maximum restraint", although it blamed "only Israel" for the new escalation after the multiple surprise attack by the Islamist group Hamas against Israel and the Israeli bombings. of retaliation. Iran stood out much more, whose government congratulated the Palestinian militias for the attack, an operation that it considered a “turning point” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
