Israelis are banding together in a show of resilience after the Hamas attack left hundreds dead and thousands injured, the nation's ambassador to Australia says.
Amir Maimon was on a planned vacation in Israel when the raids took place on Saturday. He will return to Canberra late on Tuesday.
Speaking from Hangar 11 at Tel Aviv Port where hundreds are packing goods to send to soldiers fighting in southern Israel, Mr Maimon said the scene was "Israel at its best".
"It demonstrates in many ways the spirit of the Israelis, the resilience, the understanding that we are all responsible for each other," Mr Maimon told AAP.
Waking up on Saturday morning to sirens blaring, he thought it was a mistake or one of the relatively frequent barrages of missiles Israel experiences - until he turned on the TV to see news of the large-scale attack.
The ambassador said the subsequent stories of murder, kidnap, rape and torture were horrific.
"The story needs to be told because we are going to react and we will overcome," he said, as sirens sounded in the background.
"We will launch a counterattack once we complete the preparation and we will make sure that Hamas will be stripped of their military capabilities."
Mr Maimon suffered personal losses during the attacks, with a death in his wife's cousin's family.
He also buried former students and children of students he used to teach as a defence college instructor.
"It's very painful," he said.
National landmarks across Australia have been illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag in a show of solidarity overnight but pro-Palestine protesters gathered at the Opera House to celebrate the attacks and shouted anti-Semitic chants.
Despite it being "an emotionally charged issue", Foreign Minister Penny Wong said there was no place in Australia for hate speech.
"Regardless of our views on this conflict ... we should deal with this respectfully and in accordance with the values that have made this country such a decent and inclusive country," she told reporters in Adelaide.
The head of the Executive Council of Jewry said while he supported the right to free speech and protest even if he didn't agree with the views, the protesters shouldn't have been allowed to march to the illuminated Opera House.
The Jewish community was told to stay home to avoid violence and clashes.
Council chief executive Alex Ryvchin said he was concerned about the state of affairs that led to Jewish and Israeli Australians not being able to partake in vigils or gatherings of solidarity.
"They can't attend their own CBD, it says something about the savagery that has overtaken our streets at the moment," he told reporters in Sydney.
