World press dismayed over assault on Gaza

Britain's Financial Times said Israel was taking a "dangerous gamble" that would probably cut the number of rockets fired from Gaza, "but if Israel proposes to cut the heart out of its most implacable Palestinian opponents, it will fail." France's Le Figaro said the work needed to repair the situation after the assault was "beyond the ability of any one man or nation." The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said the ground attack "clearly represents a dangerous escalation that is erasing all hope of a rapid ceasefire."

Angry headlines were blazoned across newspapers in the Middle East.

Under the title of "The Gaza Holocaust," Saudi daily al-Madina wrote that "Israel, which is now presenting re-enacted images of the Holocaust, ... is playing the role of the executioner." In Lebanon, the pro-Syrian As-Safir said Arab regimes had let the people of Gaza down by not overcoming divisions and presenting a united front. Iran's ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper called on the expansion of "confrontation against the Zionists beyond the Palestinian borders." La Tribune in Algeria took issue with the U.N.’s failure late Saturday to agree on even a statement against the Israeli operation.

Italy's La Stampa joined calls for Europe to take action to halt the crisis. Pakistan's Nawa-e-Waqt said: "The time has come for the Arab and Islamic world to jointly sever all ties with Israel." The Australian newspaper said Israel's assault appeared to be using military force as "one among other weapons in the diplomatic arsenal" but was still taking an enormous risk.