Israel’s airstrike on Qatar was “utterly unacceptable”, Cyprus’ foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

It described the attack as a “violation of Qatar’s sovereignty”, and said that while Palestinian paramilitary group Hamas, the stated target, is a “terrorist organisation”, “actions violating Qatar’s territorial integrity are risking regional peace and security and are non-permissible under international law”.

“Cyprus firmly reiterates the call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and a massive surge in humanitarian aid for the civilians in Gaza,” it said.

Israel launched strikes on Qatar on Tuesday, saying it was attempting to kill the political leaders of Hamas, with Hamas saying after the attack that five of its members had been killed as a result.

They included the son of the group’s exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, but Hamas said it had failed to assassinate any of its ceasefire negotiation team.

The attack drew widespread condemnation from the international community, with a European Union spokesperson saying that it had “breached international law and Qatar’s territorial integrity”.

United States President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said he was “very unhappy about every aspect” of the strike, and added “I’m not thrilled about it”.

“It’s not a good situation but I will say this. We want the hostages back, but we’re not thrilled about the way it went down today,” he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the strike a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani described the strike as a “reckless criminal attack” and a “clear violation of the rules and principles of international law”.