Arab countries urge restraint as Hamas launches military operation against Israel

Several Arab countries on Saturday urged restraint as the Palestinian group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years, killing more than 20 people and wounding hundreds in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into Israel with a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza.

The United Arab Emirates called on Israel and the Palestinians to prevent further violence and preserve the safety of civilians, the official news agency reported, citing the UAE foreign ministry.

“The UAE calls for the exercise of maximum restraint and an immediate ceasefire to avoid serious repercussions,” the ministry said in a statement, according to the report.

Oman also called on Israel and the Palestinians to exercise maximum self-restraint, the state news agency reported quoting an official statement.

The statement asked the international community and international parties to “intervene immediately to stop the ongoing escalation and resort to the rules of international law.”

Meanwhile, Qatar’s foreign ministry issued a statement 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 also warned of “grave consequences” from an escalation in tensions between Israel and the Palestinians in a statement from the foreign ministry carried by the state news agency.

It called for “exercising maximum restraint and avoiding exposing civilians to further danger.”