The large-scale surprise attack by terrorist group Hamas on Israel has sparked condemnation from Asian governments, who expressed concern over the escalating hostility in the Middle East.
Israel declared a state of war after Hamas launched land, air, and sea attacks against it on Oct. 7. In response, Israeli forces launched retaliatory strikes on Gaza, the stronghold of Hamas. The death toll has risen to 1,100, with thousands more injured on both sides.
Governments across the Asian region have strongly condemned the Hamas attack on Israel, although some appeared to put the blame on Israel for not recognizing “the root of conflict.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India will “stand in solidarity” with Israel.
“Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour,” Mr. Modi stated on social media.
Japan’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns the launch of a number of rockets as well as infiltration into the Israeli territories from the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other Palestinian militants.”
“Japan offers its condolences to the bereaved families and expresses its heartfelt sympathies to the injured,” the ministry said in a statement, while calling on all parties involved to “exercise maximum restraint.”
South Korea’s government expressed “deep concern” over the significant civilian casualties and strongly condemned “the indiscriminate attacks on Israel from Gaza.” It called for an immediate halt to these attacks.
Singapore’s foreign ministry issued a statement to alert its citizens living in Israel to “stay near protected places and avoid unnecessary travel.” Singapore nationals are also advised to take safety precautions.
“Singapore strongly condemns the rocket and terror attacks from Gaza on Israel, which have resulted in deaths and injuries of many innocent civilians. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims.
Pre-1967 Borders
Pakistan’s foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani expressed deep concern over the “escalating hostility in the Middle East” but appeared to place blame on Israel for the situation in Palestine.“We stand in solidarity with Palestinians and call for an immediate end to the violence and oppression by Israeli occupation forces,” he stated on X. Pakistan has no diplomatic ties with Israel.
Mr. Jilani said that “a sovereign state of Palestine” must be established based on the pre-1967 borders—the demarcation lines formed before the Six-Day War when Israel seized the Gaza Strip from Egypt—and United Nations resolutions.
The Pakistani official also called on the international community to intervene to bring an end to conflict in the Middle East.
China’s foreign ministry said that it was “deeply concerned” by the escalating tensions and violence between Palestine and Israel, urging both sides to remain calm and to cease fire immediately.
“The recurring conflicts between Palestine and Israel fully demonstrate that the long-term stagnation of the peace process is unsustainable,” the ministry told reporters on Oct. 8.
“The fundamental way out to quell the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is to implement the ’two-state solution' and establish an independent Palestinian state,” it added.
Calls to Recognize the ‘Root Cause’
The Malaysian foreign ministry urged all parties involved to exercise “utmost restraint” and work toward deescalation. It emphasized the need to recognize the pre-1967 borders as a means to ensure peace.“The root cause must be acknowledged. The Palestinians have been subjected to the prolonged illegal occupation, blockade and sufferings, the desecration of Al-Aqsa, as well as the politics of dispossession at the hands of Israel as the occupier,” the ministry stated.
“The inconsistency to act on the Israeli regime calls into question the uniform enforcement of international principles and highlights the need for a more consistent stance in addressing an apartheid administration,” it added.
Indonesia said it was deeply concerned by the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine and urged to cease the violence and address the “root of the conflict.”
“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,” the Indonesian Foreign Ministry stated on X.
Israel has, since its creation by a United Nations declaration in 1947 and declaration of statehood in 1948, faced constant tension and conflict with its Arab neighbors on all sides, going to war with one or all bordering nations on several occasions.
A key area of tension between Israelis and Arabs has involved Israel’s treatment of the residents of Palestine, which collectively describes the regions of the Gaza Strip, lining the Mediterranean Sea, and the West Bank, bordering nearby Jordan.
Despite its long experience of tension and conflict, the attack carried out this weekend was one of the most well-organized and complex attacks that Israel has ever faced, raising questions among some as to how Israel’s intricate intelligence network was caught so unaware.
Civilians on both sides were already paying a high price. In Gaza, a tiny enclave of 2.3 million people sealed off by an Israeli-Egyptian blockade for 16 years since the Hamas takeover, residents feared further escalation. Israeli strikes flattened some residential buildings.
