European leaders condemned the surprise attack on Israel by the Hamas militant group early Saturday and proclaimed Israel’s right to defend itself.

“It is terrorism in its most despicable form,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. “Israel has the right to defend itself against such heinous attacks.” European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola also condemned the attack.

Hamas caught Israel off-guard early Saturday morning with thousands of rockets fired and dozens of heavily armed gunmen storming into Israel’s south. The Israel Defense Forces responded by striking Hamas targets in Gaza. “The IDF is initiating a large-scale operation to defend Israeli civilians,” the IDF said in a statement.

  • fluke@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Both can be true. That Israel has been terrorising Palestinians, and that HAMAS is terrorising Israel.

  • GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip
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    1 year ago

    Maybe if Israel wasn’t such a piece of shit that constantly marginalizes the Palestinians to the point they created a de facto apartheid regime they would earn more sympathy on my end.

    • Carvex@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I fully agree, I’ve seen nothing but pearl clutchers defending Israel for two days now. Oh no, the dog you keep chained in your back yard and hardly throw scraps to broke free and attacked you, now you blame the dog?

  • stebo02@sopuli.xyz
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    1 year ago

    I think “one nation’s terrorists are another nation’s freedom fighters” applies pretty well here.

    • FMT99@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I see pretty much universal condemnation on my news feed. I don’t read Hexbear thankfully. Not sure who you think is saying this attack is “legal”.

      But personally, it’s a bit hard to feel sympathy for Israel looking at their past behavior. You punch someone in the face repeatedly for years, then finally they manage to get a counter punch in…

        • thedirtyknapkin@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          that might work for some people if the attack had been on enemy combatants and not a music festival and population center.

          I don’t like the way Israel treats Palestine either, but this was deplorable.

          • fluke@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            It isn’t mutually exclusive.

            Israel has been terrorising Palestinians and HAMAS has also be terrorising Israelis.