Western leaders condemn violence, call for restraint after Hamas attack on Israel

Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Western leaders condemned attacks by Hamas militants against Israel Saturday that killed at least 70 civilians, while calling for immediate talks to defuse the conflict.

Israel's supporters said the nation had the right to defend itself under international law after its military launched retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip that killed at least 198 and left thousands more wounded, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Council of the European Union issued a statement saying it stands with Israel while denouncing "in the strongest possible terms the indiscriminate attacks across Israel by Hamas and deeply deplores the loss of lives."

Other voices decried the massive loss of life among civilians.

"This attack is having a horrific impact on Israeli civilians," said Volker Turk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights. "Civilians must never be the target of attack."

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres called for immediate diplomatic efforts, saying he was "deeply concerned for the civilian population," suggesting that the situation could escalate with Israelis being abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip, according to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

"Civilians must be respected and protected in accordance with international humanitarian law at all times," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron also denounced the attacks and offered condolences to the victims, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the bloodshed as "terrifying," saying "Germany condemns these attacks by Hamas and stands by Israel."

British foreign minister James Cleverly said the United Kingdom backed "Israel's right to defend itself," while Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for restraint on both sides

Egyptian officials were consulting with their regional partners, including Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi, in a continuing effort to deescalate the crisis.

"Egypt called for exercising the utmost restraint and avoiding exposing civilians to further risks, warning of serious repercussions as a result of the escalation of violence, which would negatively affect the future of truce efforts," the foreign ministry said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said he hoped the urgent negotiations to contain the crisis would "spare the region from further tension and instability and prevent the situation from spiraling out of control."

However, there was little sign the violence would ease anytime soon.

Elsewhere throughout the Middle East, at least a handful of Arab voices expressed support for Palestinians and the ongoing incursion.

Among them was Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a leading United Arab Emirates academic, who called the Hamas militants "heroes" on social media, and human rights activist Hossam Baghat, who wrote, "You cannot support freedom fighters in Ukraine as they resist Russian occupation but not in Palestine."

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah also praised Hamas for its surprise attack on Israel, which occurred as Israel was seeking to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia after establishing diplomacy with the UAE two years ago.

Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov also weighed in, calling on both Israelis and Palestinians to lay down their arms.