Climbing in a few hours. While the truce adopted since May was generally respected, fighting resumed in the Middle East. Hundreds of rockets were fired at dawn Saturday toward Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, prompting Israeli airstrikes in retaliation. Ground fighting is underway, and at least two deaths have been recorded on the Jewish state’s side.
Shortly after the attack launched by Hamas, international reactions were numerous, with Western powers unanimous in condemning these rocket attacks. France thus condemns “with the greatest firmness the ongoing terrorist attacks against Israel and its population,” responded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It reaffirms its absolute rejection of terrorism and its attachment to the security of Israel.”
“Terror will never prevail”
Same support for the Jewish state from Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. “I unequivocally condemn the attack carried out by Hamas terrorists against Israel. This is terrorism in its most despicable form. Israel has the right to defend itself against such heinous attacks,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Ditto on the British side: the United Kingdom condemns “unequivocally the horrible attacks by Hamas against Israeli civilians,” said Foreign Minister James Cleverly. The UK will always support Israel’s right to defend itself.” Berlin, for its part, “strongly condemns the terrorist attacks coming from Gaza against Israel”. Rome “supports Israel’s right to defend itself” and warns that “terror will never prevail”, while Madrid says it is shocked by the “indiscriminate violence” of the shooting carried out this morning.
Moscow calls for “restraint”
kyiv and Moscow also reacted to the events of the morning. “Ukraine strongly condemns the ongoing terrorist attacks against Israel, including rocket attacks against the civilian population in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. We express our support for Israel in its right to defend itself and its people.”
On the Russian side, the comment is more mixed: “We are in contact with everyone now. With the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Arabs, said Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Kremlin envoy for the Middle East and Africa. Obviously, we always call for restraint.”