World governments and UN officials have expressed horror and dismay at Israel’s resumption of strikes on Gaza that killed hundreds within a few hours, warning the assault could shatter a ceasefire that was intended to be permanent.
Jordan, a US ally that has a peace agreement with Israel, called the strikes “aggressive and barbaric”. Egypt, which also has a diplomatic relationship with Israel and helped mediate the truce, called the bombing a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire that took effect in mid-January.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said Palestinians in Gaza were being subjected to an “intolerable level of suffering”, while Philippe Lazzarini, the head of Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said resuming the war would fuel “hell on Earth”.
The UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, said the “airstrikes and shelling, which killed hundreds, are horrifying. This nightmare must end immediately.”
Türk added that the strikes would “add tragedy on to tragedy”, while calling for an immediate end to the violence, the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas militants and all those arbitrarily detained – a reference to Palestinian detainees held by Israel.
“The last 18 months of violence have made abundantly clear that there is no military path out of this crisis,” he said, calling for a political settlement in line with international law. “Israel’s resort to yet more military force will only heap further misery upon a Palestinian population already suffering catastrophic conditions.”
Separately, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Muhannad Hadi, described Israel’s renewed assault as “unconscionable”.
While Israel says the war is targeted at Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is fighting allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the international criminal court, including starvation of civilians and “extermination”. The Israeli government is separately disputing allegations of genocide.
The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, said on Monday – before the strikes began – that Israel had committed “a breach of international law” by blocking aid into Gaza, in a significant hardening of the British position. “Israel quite rightly must defend its own security but we find the lack of aid … unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying,” he told parliament.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, said the reported civilian casualties from the overnight Israeli strikes were “appalling”. “We want to see this ceasefire agreement re-established as soon as possible,” they added.
The EU’s aid commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, said the “renewed escalation in Gaza is devastating. Civilians have endured unimaginable suffering. This must stop.”
Reuters cited two security sources in Egypt as saying that Egyptian mediators were surprised by the overnight airstrikes as negotiations a day earlier had been calm and they had not been notified. Mediators were now engaged in intense contacts to salvage the ceasefire and return to talks, they said.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia – two powerful gulf monarchies in the region – both condemned Israel for the strikes.
Fearing ethnic cleansing under the Israeli-backed plan by Donald Trump, the US president, to forcibly expel the remaining Palestinians from the ruins of Gaza, Arab nations have proposed an alternative plan to rebuild it. However, they have no way to enforce such a scheme on the occupied territory without Israeli agreement.
Turkey, a staunch supporter of Palestine and Hamas, described Israel’s attacks on Gaza as a “new phase in its policy of genocide” against Palestinians.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said the EU deplored the restart of hostilities in Gaza. “We want Hamas to release all its hostages and we ask Israel to show restraint and to re-establish free humanitarian access to Gaza,” said the spokesperson, adding that negotiations were the only way to find a solution.
The head of the European Council, António Costa, said he was shocked and saddened by the news from Gaza: “Violence must stop and the terms of the ceasefire agreement must be respected. All hostages and detainees must be released, and humanitarian aid must be resumed immediately,” he wrote on X.
France said it condemned the Israeli strikes, which it said were “jeopardising efforts to free the hostages and threatening the lives of the civilian population in Gaza”. The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, also said on Tuesday that the deadly new series of Israeli airstrikes threatened a permanent end to hostility.
Germany, one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe, said it felt a “great concern” after the strikes on Monday night. The foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said: “The images of burning tents in refugee camps are shocking. Fleeing children and internally displaced persons must never be used as leverage in negotiations.”
Israel, which consulted the US in advance of the action, said the strikes were targeted at mid-level Hamas commanders, officials and infrastructure.
A former French ambassador to the US and Israel, Gérard Araud, said that what was happening in Gaza should incite “horror, indignation and condemnation”.
In posts on social media, the French diplomat said the operation launched by Israel did not respond to any identifiable military objective “other than to inflict suffering on the civilian population until Hamas capitulates, which it will not”.
