Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz flew to Tel Aviv and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Scholz declared that “German history and our responsibility arising from the Holocaust make it our task to ensure Israel’s existence and security” and warned “all other players not to enter this conflict” as it would be “a big and unforgivable mistake.”
At least 12 Germans were believed to be among the hostages held by Hamas. Another person who appeared to be abused in a Hamas video was found dead.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on November 1, 2023, that Hamas-related activity would be banned. She also announced the German branch of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network would be dissolved because it “supports and glorifies” groups, including Hamas.
After the war began, anti-Semitic incidents in Germany increased dramatically.
In one instance, a Berlin synagogue was firebombed, and there were several reported instances of Star of David symbols being painted on the homes of Jewish residents in Berlin.
On October 19, the day after President Joe Biden left Israel, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived. “I am in Israel, a nation in grief,” Sunak said. “I grieve with you and stand with you against the evil that is terrorism.” After meeting with the families of British victims, he wrote, “We support, absolutely, Israel’s right to defend itself against this murderous enemy. More than a right, it has a duty to its citizens to restore the country’s security and bring the hostages home.”
“In that vein, we will stand with Israel; we will stand with you in solidarity with your people and your right to defend yourself, to bring security back to your country, to your people, to ensure the safe return of the hostages that have been taken. You have not just a right to do that, I think you have a duty to do that, to restore that security to your country,” added Sunak.
The UK also became directly involved in the war. In November, James Heappey, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, said, “A total of 12 aircraft have deployed to the eastern Mediterranean. These flights have provided surveillance support to Israel, including preventing the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups, and to wider regional security. They have also delivered humanitarian aid into Egypt.”
French President Emmanuel Macron met with Netanyahu on October 24. “We will fight against this terror together, the way we fought against ISIS,” Macron said. On February 7, 2024, Macron paid homage to the 42 French citizens who were killed by Hamas and promised to fight every day for the release of the three French nationals held hostage. Macron described the October 7 attack as “barbarism... which is fed by antisemitism” and vowed not to give in to “rampant and uninhibited anti-Semitism.”
Anti-Israel protests spread around the world, with hundreds of thousands demonstrating in London, Istanbul, and other cities. Lord Ian Austin witnessed the October 28 London march and observed that there were “lots of signs calling for Israel to be eradicated. [But I] didn’t see any calling for peace, a two-state solution, Gaza to be freed from Hamas or hostages to be released.”
Relations between Israel and parts of Latin America deteriorated as the war intensified. Bolivia announced it was cutting diplomatic ties with Israel. Bolivia had previously protested an earlier Gaza operation and severed ties in 2009. Relations were not restored until 2019. Chile, Colombia, and Honduras recalled their ambassadors.
On November 13, the 27 European Union states condemned Hamas for using hospitals and civilians as “human shields,” and the premiers of Germany, Spain, Denmark, and Romania issued a joint statement supporting Israel’s right to self-defense and urging Hamas to release the hostages.
After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Putin equivocally condemned “any action of which the civilian population becomes victims.” Later, while Putin was on a call with Netanyahu on December 11, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia “strongly condemned the terrorist attack against Israel on October 7.” During their call, Netanyahu complained about Moscow’s alliance with Iran and stance toward the war in Gaza. They also discussed the Israeli hostages. The Kremlin said Putin criticizes Israel’s response to Hamas and the humanitarian situation.
On December 14, Denmark and Germany arrested Hamas members suspected of planning attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions in Europe. Without mentioning Hamas, Danish police said three people were arrested across Denmark while a fourth person was detained in the Netherlands. German authorities arrested three suspected members of Hamas. European countries raised their threat levels and increased security at Jewish institutions.
As Israel prepared to enter the last Hamas stronghold in Rafah, it came under increasing pressure from the United States and other Western nations. Australia, Canada, and New Zealand called for a “humanitarian ceasefire.” A joint statement by the trio of Commonwealth nations was consistent with the U.S. position that a ceasefire should be approved, along with the release of hostages, with the hope that this would lead to an end to the war. Germany and France had expressed similar sentiments.
Also, Spain and Ireland asked the European Union to “urgently” examine whether Israel complied with its obligations under an accord linking human rights to trade ties.
In February 2024, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva outraged Israel when he said, “What’s happening in the Gaza Strip isn’t a war, it’s a genocide,” and that it was like “When Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
Israel’s foreign minister declared Lula persona non grata in Israel until he retracted his statements.
As the United States increased its criticism of Israel for not allowing enough aid into Gaza, so did others. French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, for example, threatened to impose sanctions on Israel. “There must be levers of influence, and there are multiple levers, going up to sanctions to let humanitarian aid cross checkpoints,” he said.
French President Macron also signed a joint op-ed in the Washington Post with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan on April 8, 2024, calling for an immediate ceasefire and insisting that a two-state solution is the only way to bring peace to the Middle East (ignoring all the unrelated causes of turmoil in the region). They called for the implementation of Security Council Resolutions 2720 and 2728 and the release of all hostages while also warning of the consequences of an Israeli offensive in Rafah. It also veered into unrelated matters, such as the status of Jerusalem, with an emphasis on recognizing Jordanian custodianship over Muslim holy sites.
Great Britain’s Foreign Minister Lord Cameron echoed the U.S. opposition to Israel conducting a major ground offensive in Rafah but said the UK would not emulate the American suspension of weapons deliveries. Britain only supplies about 1% of Israel's weapons, and Cameron said a ban on weapons sales would strengthen Hamas.
Following a snap election on July 4, the Labor Party won a landslide victory in Britain, making Sir Keir Starmer Prime Minister. Within the first days after being elected, he called Netanyahu and told him there was a “clear and urgent” need for a ceasefire in Gaza and an immediate increase in the volume of humanitarian aid reaching civilians. He also said that an independent state is the “undeniable right” of the Palestinian people. He also spoke to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas about increasing financial support for the Palestinians.
New UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Israel on July 14 and called for an immediate cease-fire. He said Britain wants to work toward “securing a cease-fire deal and creating the space for a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.” He also demanded Israel halt settlement expansion in the disputed territories and insisted that the PA be “reformed and empowered.”
Following Israel’s launch of ground operations in Lebanon, French President Macron angered Israel when he declared: “The priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to carry out fighting in Gaza,” and that Lebanon should not be allowed to “become a new Gaza.” Referring to the United States, he added, “If we call for a cease-fire, consistency is to not provide weapons of war. And I think that those who provide them cannot every day call for a cease-fire alongside us and continue to supply them.”
Netanyahu responded, “Israel will win with or without their support, but their shame will continue long after the war is won.”
The following day, the two leaders spoke. Macron did not retract his call for an arms embargo. “The arms deliveries, the prolongation of the war in Gaza and its extension to Lebanon cannot produce the security expected by the Israelis and by everyone in the region,” Macron said.
Netanyahu told Macron, “It is expected that Israel’s friends stand behind it, and don’t place limitations on it that only strengthen the Iranian terror axis.”
In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government “will never stop selling weapons to Israel.”
France organized an international conference to raise money for Lebanon and to pressure Israel for a ceasefire. France pledged $108 million in aid, and Macron accused Israel of “sowing barbarism.”
On August 2, Australia issued a public report assessing Israel’s response to the killing of its national, Ms. Zomi Frankcom, and her World Central Kitchen (WCK) colleagues in April 2024. While Australia assessed Israel’s acceptance of accountability and the initial investigation as timely and appropriate, the report noted that the affected families did not feel they had received a suitable apology or compensation, leading to a recommendation that the government advocate for a proper apology and remuneration.
In the same month, mediating nations Egypt and Qatar maintained their critical diplomatic roles, joining the U.S. in a joint statement that declared there was “no further time to waste” and urged all parties to resume urgent discussions in Doha or Cairo by August 15 to finalize the ceasefire and hostage release deal implementation.
In March 2025, a coalition of Western countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, released a joint statement that reiterated their commitment to ending the “reprehensible acts of hostage-taking.” They collectively demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas.
Escalation in non-U.S. political pressure came on May 19, 2025, when the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Canada issued a joint statement strongly opposing the expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and condemning the resulting human suffering as “intolerable.” They criticized Israel’s response as “wholly disproportionate.” They warned that if Israel did not cease its renewed offensive and lift restrictions on aid, they would take “further concrete actions in response,” including targeted sanctions.
In July 2025, international pressure reached a peak with several coordinated statements. On July 21, a broad coalition of 24 nations, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK, demanded an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire.” This coalition condemned restrictions on aid delivery, called the reported killing of over 800 Palestinians seeking aid “horrifying,” and strongly opposed permanent forced displacement or steps toward territorial change.
Later that month, French President Emanuel Macron announced that France would recognize the “State of Palestine,” with a formal declaration planned for the UN General Assembly in September. Emphasizing the urgency of ending the war in Gaza, he called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid, alongside the demilitarization of Hamas and the rebuilding of Gaza. He stressed that the creation of a viable, demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes Israel is essential to regional security, and pledged France’s commitment to making peace a reality.
Simultaneously, on July 23, a coalition of 115 international human rights and aid organizations, including Amnesty International, CARE, Doctors Without Borders, and Islamic Relief, issued an urgent open letter warning that “mass starvation” was spreading across Gaza. They collectively demanded that governments enforce a permanent ceasefire, reject military-controlled aid distribution models, lift all restrictions, and halt the transfer of weapons to Israel.
This diplomatic action transitioned directly into statehood recognition efforts later that month.
On July 29, the United Kingdom released a policy statement pledging that it would formally recognize a Palestinian state by September unless Israel took “substantive steps” toward peace, including allowing UN humanitarian aid to resume and agreeing to a ceasefire. On the same day, Foreign Ministers from 15 countries, including Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, and Spain, released a joint statement affirming their “willingness or the positive consideration” to recognize the State of Palestine as an essential step toward achieving a two-state solution.
The following day, July 30, 2025, significant diplomatic steps were taken by Arab and European powers when France and Saudi Arabia co-chaired the UN High-Level International Conference that produced the New York Declaration, supported by dozens of states, including Egypt, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Norway, Qatar, Spain, Turkey, and the European Union. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot highlighted that this marked the first time Arab countries explicitly condemned the October 7 Hamas attacks, called for the disarmament and exclusion of Hamas from Palestinian governance, and expressed their intention to normalize relations with Israel in the future.
In August 2025, the humanitarian crisis drew more multilateral attention. On August 12, foreign ministers from 24 nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the UK, and numerous European countries, warned that “famine is unfolding before our eyes” and urged Israel to take immediate, permanent, and concrete steps to lift restrictions, approve NGO shipments, and allow a “flood of aid” into Gaza. Later that month, on August 29, foreign ministers from Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain issued a coordinated condemnation of Israel’s latest military offensive and its announced intent to establish a permanent presence in Gaza City. These nations denounced forced displacement as a “flagrant violation of international law,” cited the confirmed famine conditions, and called on Israel to reverse course on both the offensive and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
In September 2025, diplomatic and recognition steps continued. On September 12, the E3 (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom) jointly condemned Israel’s September 9 strikes in Doha, calling them a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and warning that the attack risked derailing crucial hostage-release negotiations. They reaffirmed full support for Qatar’s vital mediation role, alongside Egypt. Further demonstrating commitment to the two-state solution, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia formally recognized a Palestinian state on September 22. They were joined the next day by Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Portugal, and San Marino, who also formally recognized Palestine, with recognition generally being unconditional or tied to future peace efforts.
Regarding the conflict’s regional dimensions, the E3 approved the “snapback” mechanism to reinstate all international sanctions on Iran due to its violations of nuclear commitments.
On September 29, following the release of the U.S.-led Comprehensive Peace Plan, it was noted that 59 nations, including various Arab and Muslim countries, had agreed to the plan, with regional partners guaranteeing Hamas’s compliance.