The White House has issued a joint statement after US President Joe Biden had a phone call with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the UK regarding the latest developments in Israel.

According to The White House, the leaders expressed their "steadfast and united support to the State of Israel, and our unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism".

They also stated that they stand by Israel's right to defend itself: "All of us recognise the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike. But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed," they added.

"We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned.

We further emphasise that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage," they stated.

On Sunday, US President Joe Biden ordered additional support for Israel in the wake of a large-scale attack by Hamas.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also expressed support for his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the large-scale attack by the Hamas terrorist group.