World calls for calm as Israel, Hamas conflict escalates

Countries around the world have urged the Palestinian and Israeli forces to stop armed hostilities after attacks launched by Hamas on Israel.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry on Saturday called for an "immediate cessation of violence between Israeli and the Palestinians," the state news agency reported.
It quoted a ministry statement which read: "We are following the unprecedented developments between a number of Palestinian factions and Israel occupation forces which has led to a high level of violence on a number of fronts."

Oman also on Saturday called on Israel and the Palestinians to exercise maximum self-restraint, the state news agency reported quoting an official statement.
The statement called asked the international community and international parties to "intervene immediately to stop the ongoing escalation and resort to the rules of international law."

Qatar's foreign ministry issued a statement on Saturday saying that Israel alone was responsible for the ongoing escalation of violence with the Palestinian people. It said Qatar calls on both sides to exercise utmost restraint and calls on the international community to prevent Israel from using these events as an excuse to launch a disproportionate war against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Egypt urged the Palestinians and Israel to "exercise restraint" after Hamas launched attacks from Gaza against Israel, which responded with air strikes. Historically a key mediator in conflicts between the two sides, Egypt warned of the "dire danger of ongoing escalation."

The Egyptian foreign ministry in a statement appealed to "both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to exercise the highest degrees of restraint."

Top diplomat Sameh Shoukry made a series of calls Saturday in an attempt to rally "international actors" to "intervene immediately." In a call with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, both ministers "expressed their deep concern about the progressive and dangerous deterioration of events."

In a separate statement, Safadi warned of the "volatility" of the situation, "particularly in light of what cities and areas of the West Bank are witnessing of Israeli attacks and violations against the Palestinian people."

In a call with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Shoukry stressed the "importance of stopping the escalation and all sides' exercising restraint."

Egypt also called on the international community to "urge Israel to stop the attacks and provocative actions against the Palestinian people and to adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law with regard to the responsibilities of an occupying state."

"We call on the Palestinian and Israeli sides to immediately ceasefire, renounce violence, show the necessary restraint," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Zakharova called the parties to set up "a negotiation process aimed at establishing a comprehensive, lasting and long-awaited peace" with the help of the international community.

The long-lasting conflict between Israel and Palestine "cannot be solved by force, but only by diplomatic means," Zakharova said.