Egypt and Turkey urge ‘restraint’, Iran congratulates Palestinian fighters

International reactions to the attacks on Israel have varied.

Egypt has warned of the "grave consequences" if tensions were to escalate, in a statement issued by the foreign ministry. 

The statement, which was published by the state news agency, called for  "exercising maximum restraint and avoiding exposing civilians to further danger".

Similarly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged parties "to act with restraint... and to stay away from impulsive steps that will escalate tensions".

However, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has congratulated Palestinian fighters for launching the biggest attack on Israel in years, the ISNA news site reported. 

Yahya Rahim Safavi, the Iranian military commander, congratulated the Palestinian fighters.

"We will stand by the Palestinian fighters until the liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem," he said. 

The European Union said that it  "unequivocally" condemns attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israel and called for an immediate stop to the violence.

"Israel has the right to defend itself against such an odious attack," European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen is reported to have said.