World leaders quickly came out in support of Israel, claiming it has the right to defend itself after a mass attack from the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
From 6am Saturday, both the holy Sabbath and the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah, the attack saw around 5,000 rockets fired in under one hour and at least dozens of Hamas terrorists infiltrate Israeli territory by land, sea and air.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on X, "I strongly condemn the current terrorist attacks against Israel. I express my full solidarity with the victims, their families and loved ones."
The British premier also defended the Jewish state, which was taken by surprise by the early morning attacks which have left hundreds wounded, dozens dead and several more, including women and children, taken hostage in Gaza.
He spoke of his shock at the brutality of attacks which saw civilians gunned down in the street and taken hostage and killed in their homes, adding, "Israel has an absolute right to defend itself."
In Europe, Netherlands' premier also showed support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who on Saturday announced a state of war. Mark Rutte called the attack "unprecedented", adding, "I told him that the Netherlands unequivocally condemns this terrorist violence and fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself."
At the time of publication, at least 22 Israelis were known to be dead with scores more expected as the numbers become clearer.
Fellow Iran-backed proxy, Hezbollah, issued a statement in support of the action, claiming it was in direct contact with Hamas and other proxy groups. In its statement, the group claimed the attacks were a "decisive response to Israel's continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalization with Israel", in a barbed attack on Saudi Arabia, whose relations have been ramping up in recent weeks amid talk of a US-brokered deal.
However, the Saudi foreign ministry, chose to tow the Arab world line, refraining from supporting Israel or condemning Hamas, merely saying it was watching the situation and urging both sides to refrain from escalation.
Other statements of condemnation were pouring in from across nations including Poland, Greece, Belgium and the Czech Republic.