The White House on Wednesday urged restraint after an Israel Defense Forces strike in Gaza killed 19 Palestinians, and said it hoped for a swift completion of the investigation into the attack.

"We deeply regret the injuries and loss of life in Gaza today. We have seen the Israeli government's apology and hope their investigation will be completed quickly," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.

"We call on all parties to show restraint so as to avoid any harm to innocent civilians," he said.

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The UN Security Council will hold a special session Thursday on the shelling.

The European Union executive on Wednesday called the IDF attack "a profoundly shocking event."

"The killing this morning of so many civilians in Gaza, including many children, is a profoundly shocking event. Israel has a right to defend itself, but not at the price of the lives of the innocent," EU external relations chief Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement.

Syria also condemned the attack, and said the international community and United Nations Security Council had a duty to stop such "massacres" and hold Israel accountable.

"Syria condemns strongly the state terrorism committed by Israel, and calls on Palestinians to unite their national line in face of Israeli crimes," a statement by the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.

"The international community and the UN Security Council bear complete responsibility to stop these massacres and hold Israeli accountable," the statement said.

Amr Moussa, Secretary-General of the Cairo-based Arab League, said the Israeli attacks were incomprehensible "massacres" and said he would call on Arab officials to act.

In Lebanon, thousands of Palestinian students and children took to the streets of the country's largest refugee camp, waving Palestinian flags and urging Arabs to stand up to Israel.

"Oh Arabs where is your pride, they have massacred our people in Gaza," the crowds gathered in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp chanted as mosques blared Koranic verses.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said Wednesday that she was "gravely disturbed" by the civilian deaths in Gaza, and extended her condolences to the families of the victims.

"The British government has repeatedly expressed its deep concern over mounting casualties and civilian suffering in Gaza in recent months, and raised these concerns with the Government of Israel," she said.

Beckett also called on Palestinians to end "unacceptable" Qassam fire on Israel and urged both sides "to do their utmost to avoid harming civilians, especially children."

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said France "condemns the indiscriminate artillery fire inside inhabited areas which occurred in violation of international humanitarian law and notably the Geneva Conventions."

France and Britain also criticised the continuing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants into Israel.

Italy's foreign minister branded the Gaza killings a "massacre" and called for an urgent international initiative to stop the violence.

"This morning 18 people, women and children, were massacred... an escalation of violence I think is unacceptable," Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema told reporters.

"I think that now an international initiative to unblock the Palestinian situation is essential," he said. "It is clear that if this escalation of violence is not stopped we risk returning to a climate of war."

In the Middle East, Jordan's King Abdullah condemned "the ugly massacre that led to the martyrdom of a number of innocent civilians including children," the state's Petra news agency said.