Jerusalem: Israel and the European Commission (EC) on March 26 strongly condemned as "heinous and appalling act of terrorism" the killing of 24 Kashmiri Pundits with Tel Aviv calling for a joint struggle against the menace.

"State of Israel strongly condemns the heinous act of terrorism that occurred on March 24, 2003, in the village of Nandimarg, Kashmir," an Israeli government statement said.

"Israel, which faces a continuous onslaught of murderous terrorism, calls on every civilised person and state in the world to join in the uncompromising struggle against the scourge of terrorism."

The statement said Israel shared the grief of the bereaved families, and expressed solidarity with the people and government of India.

In Brussels, the European Commission's Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Pattern, offered his condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the government of India.

"Commissioner Pattern has written to External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, expressing horror at the assassination of innocent villagers, including many women and children in Kashmir. This was an appalling act of terrorist violence that the European Commission condemns without reservation," the Commission said in a statement.

Patten stressed that the European Union and India stand side by side in their common fight against terrorism.

PTI