Oil-richQatar,which has ties to Hamas and provides significant aid to the Gaza region,said Israel was “solely responsible for the ongoing escalation due to its continuous violations of the rights of the Palestinian people”.

Treading a fine line

Other nations in the Middle East have opted for a more muted response. Two of Israel’s immediate neighbours, Egypt andJordan, have urged restraint,with Egypt warning Israel not to take disproportionate action against Palestinians in retaliation to Hamas’ attacks.

The president ofTurkey,Recep Tayyip Erdogan,condemned the targeting of unarmed civilians but did not assign sole blame. Turkey has offered to mediate between Israel and Hamas.

Russia, which is aligned with Iran,said it was “extremely concerned” – but stopped short of condemning Hamas.

China called for the protection of civilians and said the “way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution” and establishing an independent Palestinian state.

“The international community needs to act with greater urgency,step up input into the Palestine question,facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel,and find a way to bring about enduring peace,” said a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry.

Saudi Arabia, a key player in the Middle East which hasbeen in talks with Israel about normalising relations,also walked a fine line. It called for an immediate end to the violence but did not explicitly denounce Hamas.

Australia’s neighbourIndonesia,which does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel,said it was deeply concerned about the escalation of conflict and called for an “immediate end” to the violence.

“The root of the conflict,namely the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel,must be resolved,in accordance with the parameters agreed upon by the UN,” Indonesia’s foreign ministry said.

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