European leaders condemned the surprise attack on Israel by the Hamas militant group early Saturday and proclaimed Israel’s right to defend itself.

“It is terrorism in its most despicable form,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. “Israel has the right to defend itself against such heinous attacks.” European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola also condemned the attack.

Hamas caught Israel off-guard early Saturday morning with thousands of rockets fired and dozens of heavily armed gunmen storming into Israel’s south. The Israel Defense Forces responded by striking Hamas targets in Gaza. “The IDF is initiating a large-scale operation to defend Israeli civilians,” the IDF said in a statement.