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Israel-Palestine conflict
How the world is reacting to Israel’s wave of deadly strikes on Gaza
Hamas says attacks ‘overturn’ ceasefire as families of Israeli captives accuse Netanyahu of ‘giving up on hostages’.
AJ 18 Mar 2025
Tuesday’s attack, which took place across Gaza, was its most intense since the ceasefire came into effect on January 19, with the Palestinian Health Ministry reporting at least 404 people killed and 562 wounded.
Here is how the world is reacting to the deadly attacks:
Hamas
Hamas, which governs Gaza, said it viewed Israel’s attacks as a unilateral cancellation of the ceasefire that began on January 19.
“Netanyahu and his extremist government are making a decision to overturn the ceasefire agreement, exposing prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate,” Hamas said in a statement.
Later, Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq said in a statement that “Netanyahu’s decision to resume war” was “a decision to sacrifice the occupation’s prisoners and impose a death sentence on them”.
Israel
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the operation was open-ended and expected to expand.
“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military force,” it said, adding that the operation was ordered after “Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators.”
Defence Minister Israel Katz said: “We will not stop fighting as long as the hostages are not returned home and all our war aims are not achieved.”
The United States
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said “the Trump administration and the White House” had been consulted by Israel on the attacks.
“As President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorise not just Israel, but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay – all hell will break loose,” she said.
Families of Israeli captives
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of captives held in Gaza, said in a post on X that the Israeli government’s decision to attack showed that it had chosen “to give up on the hostages”.
“We are shocked, angry, and terrified by the deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones from the terrible captivity of Hamas,” the group said. It asked the government why it “backed out of the ceasefire agreement” with Hamas.
Yemen’s Houthi group
Yemen’s Houthi rebels promised an escalation in support of Palestinians against a backdrop of mounting hostilities with the US.
“We condemn the Zionist enemy’s resumption of aggression against the Gaza Strip,” the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council said in a statement. “The Palestinian people will not be left alone in this battle, and Yemen will continue its support and assistance, and escalate confrontation steps.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed group accused Israel of “deliberately sabotaging all efforts to reach a ceasefire”.
China
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing was “highly concerned” about the situation, calling for parties to “avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation, and prevent a larger-scale humanitarian disaster”.
Russia
The Kremlin warned of a “spiral of escalation” in the wake of Israel’s strikes.
“Especially concerning of course are the reports of major casualties among the civilian population,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “We are monitoring the situation very closely and, of course, we are waiting for it to return to a peaceful course.”
Netherlands
Foreign Minister Casper Veldkamp said on X that “all hostilities must end permanently”.
“The Netherlands calls on all parties to respect the terms of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal. All civilians must be protected, “ he said. “We urge all parties to implement it in full: the remaining hostages must be released, humanitarian aid must reach those in need.”
Norway
Pime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the Israeli strikes were “a great tragedy” for the people of Gaza. “They are almost without protection. Many of them live in tents and the ruins of what has been destroyed,” he said.
Switzerland
“Switzerland calls for an immediate return to the ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid,” the foreign ministry wrote on X.
United Nations
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, voiced his horror over the intense Israeli strikes.
“This will add tragedy onto tragedy,” he said in a statement. Israel’s resorting to yet more military force would “only heap further misery upon a Palestinian population already suffering catastrophic conditions”.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
CAIR, a Washington DC-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, said in a statement that it condemned the Netanyahu government “for resuming its horrific and genocidal attacks on the men, women and children of Gaza, killing hundreds of civilians in a matter of hours”.
“Netanyahu would clearly rather massacre Palestinian children in refugee camps than risk the disintegration of his cabinet by exchanging all those held by both sides and permanently ending the genocidal war, as required by the ceasefire agreement that President Trump helped broker and that he must salvage,” the organisation said.
Egypt
Egypt, which is acting as a mediator alongside Qatar and the US, called Israel’s air strikes a “flagrant violation” of the deal.
The strikes constitute a “dangerous escalation which threatens to have bring serious consequences for the stability of the region”, said the foreign ministry.
Turkey
Turkey said the attacks amounted to a “new phase in its policy of genocide” against Palestinians.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry added it was unacceptable for Israel to cause a “new cycle of violence” in the region, adding the Israeli government’s “hostile approach” threatened the future of the Middle East.
Australia
“There’s already been enormous suffering there [in Gaza], which is why we’re calling upon all parties to respect the ceasefire and hostage deal that was put in place,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
“We’ll continue to make representations. Australia will continue to stand up for peace and security in the region.”
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
