On 12 May, major hostilities broke out between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas, with Israel carrying out hundreds of air strikes in Gaza and Palestinian militants firing multiple rocket barrages at Tel Aviv and the southern city of Beersheba in the region’s most intense hostilities in years, bringing the current death toll to 43 civilians. 

The violence followed weeks of tension in Jerusalem during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, with clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around Al-Aqsa Mosque, on the compound revered by Jews as Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. These escalated in recent days ahead of a – now postponed - court hearing in a case that could end with Palestinian families evicted from East Jerusalem homes claimed by Jewish settlers.

The hostilities sought reactions from all around the globe. The spokesperson of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep concern over the situation. "He [Guterres] is deeply saddened to learn of increasingly large numbers of casualties, including children, from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and of Israeli fatalities from rockets launched from Gaza. The Secretary-General’s thoughts are with the families of the victims.”  Guterres called on Israeli security forces to “exercise maximum restraint and calibrate their use of force,” adding that “indiscriminate launching of rockets and mortars towards Israeli population centres is unacceptable.” He underscored that the United Nations was working “with all relevant parties to de-escalate the situation urgently.”   

Reactions from the South Caucasus countries

The press secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry Anna Naghdalyan said that there were currently no victims amongst the Armenian community in Israel. “The Armenian Foreign Ministry and the Armenian Embassy in Israel are constantly in touch with the Jerusalem Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church, as well as with the Armenian structures in this state,” Naghdalyan emphasised. She added that the life of the Armenian community in Israel continues as usual despite the hostilities. 

Georgia’s Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani also responded to the events. The “Georgian government is closely following developments unfolding in Israel. Georgia strongly condemns violence & rocket attacks against civilians which undermine peace & stability in the wider region. There is no alternative to the de-escalation of tensions in the region,” he wrote on Twitter.

No official statements came from Azerbaijan regarding the hostilities.

Reactions from Russia, Turkey and Iran

The spokesperson of the Russian MFA Maria Zakharova called on the parties to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to show restraint and refrain from any steps that can be fraught with escalation of the situation. She stressed that Moscow would continue efforts towards a lasting and comprehensive Palestinian-Israeli settlement. “As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a member of the Middle East Quartet of international mediators and in cooperation with regional and international sides, Russia will do its best to achieve comprehensive and lasting settlement in line with the UN Security Council resolutions envisaging the establishment of two states - Palestine and Israel coexisting in peace and security,” Zakharova stated. 

An interesting statement was given by the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who called on the Israeli authorities to “apologise” for their actions. “Muslims around the world have two most revered holidays. And Ramadan is one of them. The Israeli authorities have chosen the most sacred days for believers for the punitive operation. This is nothing more than a provocation in the most sophisticated form” which was “aimed at getting Muslims to break the law in revenge,” Kadyrov wrote.

The Turkish MFA condemned the air strikes launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip. “Israel, which tried to expel the Palestinian people from their lands in East Jerusalem and the West Bank during the holy month of Ramadan and held operations against the Palestinians who wanted to worship in al-Aqsa Mosque, has the main responsibility for the escalation of the events in the Palestinian territories. It is clear that Israel's aggressive and provocative policies will not contribute to the efforts towards ending violence and prevailing dialogue and reconciliation in the Middle East. It must be ensured that the Israeli administration recognises the fact that using indiscriminate and disproportionate force cannot suppress the legitimate rights and demands of the Palestinian people, and that Israel halts immediately such military methods that serve no other purpose than to further increase hostility and tension in the region,” read the statement of the MFA.

It should also be noted that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the ongoing hostilities. Erdoğan stated to Putin that Turkey voiced its strong opposition to Israel’s attacks on Jerusalem, Gaza, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinians. He also said that the international community needed to stop Israel and teach it a stern lesson. Erdoğan further underlined that having Turkey and Russia demonstrate that they are in agreement about the developments in Jerusalem is a significant message. He also emphasised that sending international peacekeeping forces to protect Palestinians is an issue that must be considered.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on the Palestinians to build up their fighting power to stop Israel's “brutality,” saying Israelis “only understand the language of force.”