International reaction to the Gaza War 2008–2009 came from many countries and international organisations.

International reaction to the conflict was also notable in the level of civilian demonstrations all around the world, which in many cases displayed sentiment significantly different from the official government line.BBC NEWS|UK|London protest over raids on Gaza. BBC News. Retrieved on 2009-01-08

Long-term effects and reaction In the aftermath of the crisis, observers suggested Israel's diplomatic position and foreign reputation had been permanently tainted. The New York Times reported in March that Israel was "facing its worst diplomatic crisis in two decades." Other effects on Israel included: Its sports teams met hostility and violent protests in Sweden, Spain and Turkey. Mauritania closed Israel's embassy. Relations with Turkey, an important Muslim ally, deteriorated severely. A group of top international judges and human rights investigators called for an inquiry into Israel's actions in Gaza. "Israel Apartheid Week" drew participants in 54 cities around the world in March 2009, twice the number of last year, according to its organisers. "And even in the American Jewish community...there is a chill."

Official reactions

Involved parties

– Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said "we tried to avoid, and I think quite successfully, to hit any uninvolved people – we attacked only targets that are part of the Hamas organisations".

– Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' leader in Gaza, called Israel's attacks an "ugly massacre". The leader of Hamas in Damascus, Khaled Mashal, threatened revenge attacks, saying "the time for the Third Intifada has come".

– President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attacks and called for restraint. President Mahmoud Abbas blamed Hamas for triggering Israel's deadly raids on Gaza by not extending a six-month truce with Israel. Speaking from Cairo on 28 December 2008, he said that 'we ask[ed] [Hamas] ... not [to] end the truce. Let the truce continue and not stop so that we could have avoided what happened'. Later he called Israeli attacks "barbaric and criminal aggression", and threatened to cut off negotiations with Israel.

Fathi Abu Moughli, the Palestinian minister of health, abruptly cut off the payments to Israeli hospitals for treatment of Palestinian patients, forcing hundreds of Palestinians to halt their treatments and cutting them off from proper medical care.Arab child's sickbed is part of the battleground By Aron Heller and Dalia Nammari – 18 March 2009Palestinians Stop Paying Israeli Hospitals for Gaza and West Bank Patients Ethan Bronner, New York Times 9 February 2009

United Nations The United Nations Security Council issued a statement on 28 December 2008, calling, "for an immediate halt to all violence", the Arab League, and the European Union made similar calls, as did Argentina, Brazil, China, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea and Vietnam. Libya pushed to issue a Security Council Resolution urging for a cease-fire, an effort which the US blocked, citing the failure of the statement made 28 December.

On 9 January 2009, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1860 calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a full Israeli withdrawal by 14 votes to one abstention (the United States), even though US diplomats had been involved in its drafting. Israel and Hamas both ignored calls for a ceasefire.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution ES-10/18 on 16 January 2009, calling for support of Security Council Resolution 1860. Only 3 countries (Israel, United States, Nauru) voted against the Resolution.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate ceasefire and condemned both Israel and Hamas.Israel pounds Gaza for fourth day, BBC News 30 December 2008

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, called for independent investigations into possible war crimes committed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

International Organisations International Organisations Organisation Reactions The United Nations – At the beginning of "Operation Cast Lead", a spokesperson for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that "the secretary general is deeply alarmed by today's heavy violence and bloodshed in Gaza, and the continuation of violence in southern Israel". Ban condemned Israel's "excessive use of force leading to the killing and injuring of civilians" and "the ongoing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants". He appealed for "an immediate halt to all violence [and reiterated] previous calls for humanitarian supplies to be allowed into Gaza to aid the distressed civilian population."

Following the end of fighting, Ban Ki-moon visited the Gaza Strip. He called the Israeli attacks "outrageous" and demanded guarantees that it would never happen again. After visiting the U.N. headquarters hit by Israel, he called for those responsible to be held accountable: "I am just appalled. I am not able to describe how I am feeling. This was an outrageous and totally unacceptable attack against the United Nations".

The president of the UN General Assembly, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, described Israel's Gaza offensive as a "genocide" against the Palestinian people.

On 12 January, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in which it strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza, which had according to the body "resulted in violations of human rights of the Palestinian people", and "demanded the occupying power, Israel, to immediately withdraw its military forces from Gaza."

The World Health Organization called on the immediate cessation of violence and the removal of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, warning that the present situation will result in "preventable deaths". The Arab League was planning on holding an emergency summit in Cairo on 28 December, to discuss the attack. The summit was delayed to 2 January 2009, in Doha. On 19 January, at an Arab League summit in Kuwait, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Arab leaders should adopt a resolution declaring Israel a terrorist entity, and support Palestinian resistance. According to Arab League: Israel is waging a financial war. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation issued a communiqué condemning the "brutal and sustained aggression". The communiqué also called for the Palestinian factions to end their differences and noted the OIC's continued aid works in Gaza and its support for the PNA and other "legitimate institutions"OIC FM meeting on Gaza wraps up. Organisation of The Islamic Conference The OIC has requested all "peace-loving nations" work to call the UN general assemblyOIC Secretary General condemns the Israeli ground incursion into Gaza and calls for a General Assembly meeting upon failure by UN Security Council to adopt binding resolution. Organisation of The Islamic Conference A spokesman for the European Union's Foreign Policy Chief, Javier Solana, called "for an immediate ceasefire" and urged "everybody to exert maximum restraint". It called for an "unconditional halt" of Hamas rocket attacks and Israeli military action. It also asked for the delivery of food, medical aid and fuel to Gaza, the evacuation of the injured from Gaza, and the permission for humanitarian aid workers to enter area. European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering expressed his "deepest regret" over the escalation of the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas, calling for an "immediate end to the violence on both sides". EU Humanitarian aid chief Louis Michel called the destruction left by Israel's offensive "abominable", but said Hamas bore "overwhelming responsibility". ICRC The International Committee of the Red Cross called "for restraint as hospitals overwhelmed by scale of emergencies". Later on, it continued to emphasise its medical and humanitarian concerns. Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement voiced its strong condemnation of the escalation of the Israeli military aggression in the Gaza Strip and called upon Israel to end the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Mercosur released an official statement expressing "concern and repudiation towards the spiral of violence and intimidation taking place in the Gaza Strip". The organisation urged "both sides to end hostilities and formulate a call for the immediate resumption of dialogue, so as to ensure peace and justice in the region". Organization of American StatesThe Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, expressed today his "absolute rejection" of the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip and urged its immediate halt. At the same time, he called for restoration of the cease-fire, an end to the embargo on the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of a new peace initiative. African UnionThe African Union released a press statement stating the following: "The Commission of the African Union (AU) is following with great concern the prevailing situation in the Gaza Strip. The Commission strongly condemns the ongoing air raids on the Gaza Strip by Israel, since 27 December 2008, which has resulted so far in the death of more than 300 Palestinians, while about 1,000 others, including women and children, have been injured."

Non-governmental organisations

Non-governmental organisations Organisation ReactionsAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International expressed that "It is utterly unacceptable for Israel to continue to purposefully deprive 1.5 million people of food and other basic necessities. Such a policy cannot be justified on any security or other grounds and must end immediately", said Amnesty International. The organisation "also calls once again on Hamas and all other Palestinian armed groups in Gaza to stop firing indiscriminate rockets against towns and villages in southern Israel".Caritas InternationalisCaritas Internationalis described the "devastating consequences" of Israeli actions in Gaza highlighting the desperate need for beds, medicines and medical staff. It expressed concern over the difficulty Gazan medical personnel were having in reaching the wounded and commented on the high number of women and children being wounded. Caritas called for the "immediate end" to Hamas rocket attacks and the Israeli offensive. Norwegian People's Aid The Norwegian People's Aid issued the following statement: "Israel's actions on the Gaza Strip must be characterised as war crimes. The massive attacks affecting people who are not combatants, the disproportionate military use of violence and the blockade of an entire population are clear breaches of the international law for humanitarian concerns as laid down in the 4th Geneva Convention, both where the obligations of an occupying power and the rules of warfare are concerned." World Council of Churches The WCC condemned all violence in Gaza, and called for an immediate end to the violence on 30 December 2008.Jewish Voice for Peace Jewish Voice for Peace(JVP) joined marches and demonstrations condemning Israel in many cities, including Racine, Wisconsin, Seattle, and other cities. Official JVP statement reads "We condemn Israel's assault on Gaza. As of today, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli assault, including at least 335 children and many more civilians."

Countries

Most of the world condemned both belligerents, or neither of them, and simply called for peace or expressed concern for civilian casualties.

Thirty-five states condemned Israel's attacks exclusively. Three of them expressed support for Hamas' operations or defined them as falling within its right of resistance. Bolivia, Mauritania, Qatar, and Venezuela significantly downscaled or severed their relations with Israel in protest of the offensive.