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ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Group of Eight leaders on Sunday issued a carefully-crafted statement on the Middle East that blamed extremists for an upsurge in violence and called on Israel to be restrained in responding to attack.
After lengthy discussions to bridge differences over how to respond to the dramatic upsurge in violence the leaders of the world's richest nations blamed Lebanon's Hizbollah and elements in Hamas for starting a crisis that has left dozens dead.
It described those responsible as "extremists" and called on them to immediately halt their attacks.
"These extremist elements and those that support them cannot be allowed to plunge the Middle East into chaos," said the text.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the G8 was demanding Hizbollah release two Israeli soldiers it captured on Wednesday and halt rocket attacks on Israel. An attack deep into Israel on Sunday hit the port city of Haifa and left at least eight dead.
"We demand first that the Israeli soldiers be returned to Israel healthy, that the attacks on Israel cease, and then naturally for Israel to halt military action," she told reporters.
The G8 statement said the return of captives and an end to rocket attacks was needed to create the "conditions for a cessation of violence", putting the onus on Hizbollah to act first to end the fighting.
The G8 said Israel had the right to defend itself, a position that the United States, the Jewish state's biggest backer, has repeatedly taken when asked if it will call on the Israelis to halt their intense bombardment of Lebanon.
But the statement added that Israel had to be mindful of "the strategic and humanitarian consequences of its actions" and should exercise utmost restraint to avoid civilian casualties, damage to infrastructure and the destabilisation of the fragile Lebanese coalition government.
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