The European Union, Russia, the United States and Nigeria, among other nations, have called for ceasefire and dialogue between Israel and Palestine over the renewed outbreak of hostilities between both countries, which began on Saturday.

The health ministry in Gaza revealed on Saturday that at least 250 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli air attacks launched after a Hamas offensive against Israel killed at least 200.

Six others (two in Ramallah, one in Jericho, one in Qalqilia, and two in Hebron), according to Aljazeera, have also been killed, with more than 50 injured in the West Bank.

This brings the number to 450 as of the time of filing this report.

A tally by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society noted that another 126 Palestinians had been injured.

Thirty-three were hit with live ammunition, 10 injured by rubber-coated bullets, 69 treated for teargas inhalation, five injured by shrapnel, eight were physically assaulted and one was stabbed by an Israeli settler.

The growing casualty toll on Saturday came after the Palestinian group running the Gaza Strip launched the largest attack on Israel in the year, Aljazeera reports, infiltrating areas in the south of the country following a barrage of thousands of rockets fired from the besieged territory.

Israel’s national rescue service on its part said at least 200 people were killed and hundreds wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years.

It was gathered that an unknown number of Israeli soldiers and civilians had also been seized and taken into Gaza.

Earlier on, Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, warned Hamas, saying that it made a “grave mistake” in launching the attack, which began at 6.30am local time (03.30 GMT) and involved barrages of rockets fired from multiple locations in Gaza as well as fighters infiltrating Israel by land, sea and air.

“Citizens of Israel, we are at war. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message from military headquarters in Tel Aviv, sighted by Sunday PUNCH.

Israel’s military launched a series of air raids on Gaza in response to the attack. “Dozens of [Israeli military] fighter jets are currently striking a number of targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

Israeli brigade leader killed

Israel’s military said the commander of the Nahal Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Yonathan Steinberg, was killed by Hamas fighters in southern Israel.

The brigade is the main infantry branch of the Israeli military.

The military said on X that Steinberg was fatally shot near Kerem Shalom as he was responding to a gunfight between his brigade and Hamas fighters.

A member of the Israeli Knesset, Danny Danon, on Saturday, said it would “not be easy” for the people of Gaza tonight.

“I can tell you tonight that the people of Gaza will have to take into consideration that they will have to pay a price and we will advise them to take steps to avoid any casualties,” the former UN ambassador told Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv.

“We will be efficient, and we will do whatever it takes to hunt them [Hamas] down,” he stated.

In an attempt to broker peace, the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, on Saturday, in a statement called on the Palestinian and Israeli sides to implement an immediate ceasefire.

“We call on the Palestinian and Israeli sides to implement an immediate ceasefire, renounce violence, exercise the necessary restraint and establish, with the assistance of the international community, a negotiation process aimed at establishing a comprehensive, lasting and long-awaited peace in the Middle East,” Zakharova noted.

Also, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, in a statement sighted by Sunday PUNCH, said, “This horrific violence must stop immediately. Terrorism and violence solve nothing. The EU expresses its solidarity with Israel in these difficult moments.”

The German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, said Hamas contributed to “the intensification of violence”, adding that Israel “has our full solidarity the right, guaranteed by international law, to defend itself against terrorism.”

The President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, assured his support for Israel, saying, “We’ll make sure that they have the help that her citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves.

“In this moment of tragedy, I want to say that the United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have her back. We will make sure that they have the help that their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves.

“The world has seen appalling images, thousands of rockets in the space of hours raining down on Israeli cities killing not only the soldiers but Israeli civilians in the streets, in their homes. Innocent people were murdered, wounded, and entire families were taken hostage by Hamas.

“The United States stands with the people of Israel in the face of this terrorist assault.

“Israel has the right to defend itself and its people. There is never a justification for terrorist attacks,” he wrote on his official X account on Saturday.

The French President, Emmanuel Macron, said he “firmly condemns” the attacks and expressed “full solidarity with Israel and the victims.”

Britain’s foreign minister, James Cleverly, also condemned the “horrific attacks” and underlined Israel’s right to self-defence.

Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, on his part, said the violence must stop, adding that Israel had every right to defend itself.

Meanwhile, Nigeria has begged both sides to ceasefire.

The Federal Government said in a statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, the escalation between both countries would result in an unending cycle of pain and suffering for the civilian population, advising that both parties should exercise restraint and prioritise the safety of civilians.

The statement read, “The Federal Government of Nigeria is deeply concerned about the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the early hours of Saturday and calls for de-escalation and ceasefire.

“The cycle of violence and retaliation that the current escalation has assumed only serves to perpetuate an unending cycle of pain and suffering for the civilian population that bears the brunt of every conflict.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria, therefore, calls on both sides to exercise restraint, prioritise the safety of civilians and give room for humanitarian considerations.

“We are therefore calling for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue.”

Hospitals crowded

A medical doctor, Belal Dabour, speaking with Aljazeera said one of the hospitals in Gaza he frequented was jam-packed as families searched frantically for their loved ones who might have been killed or injured amid Israeli attacks.

He said, “It was very crowded. The death toll in Gaza is staggering. You can imagine the number of relatives searching for their loved ones, in addition to people who came to support their families.

“They believe hospitals are relatively safe, especially for people living by the eastern borders of Gaza. This has been a trend in previous wars.”

Egypt is talking with Saudi Arabia and Jordan in an effort to defuse the continuing escalation, the Egyptian foreign ministry has said.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry spoke by phone with his Saudi and Jordanian counterparts, a statement said.

He underlined the importance of “uniting international and regional efforts” to contain the escalating violence, a statement read.

Egypt maintains ties with both Hamas and Israel and has been a frequent interlocutor in violent escalations.