Brussels: NATO countries on Thursday told Israel’s defense minister they stood by his country after the attack by Hamas, but urged his forces to respond with “proportionality,” the alliance said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed his counterparts from the US-led military alliance via videolink as his country’s military carries out a bombing campaign after Islamist militants killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
“Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO condemned the terrorist attacks in the strongest possible terms, adding: ‘Israel does not stand alone’,” NATO said in a statement.
“Allies expressed solidarity with Israel, making clear that it has the right to defend itself with proportionality against these unjustifiable acts of terror.”
NATO countries “called for Hamas to immediately release all hostages, and for the fullest possible protection of civilians. Allies also made clear that no nation or organization should seek to take advantage of the situation or to escalate it.”
The statement added that “a number of NATO allies made clear that they are providing practical support to Israel as it continues to respond to the situation.”
In Gaza, officials have reported more than 1,200 people killed in Israel’s uninterrupted campaign of air and artillery strikes, while the UN said more than 338,000 people have been displaced.
US President Joe Biden — who has strongly backed Israel and started sending military aid — has cautioned that Israel must, despite “all the anger and frustration ... operate by the rules of war.”
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps insisted Thursday that Israel was “going after the terrorists” in Gaza.
“They are not by design attacking civilians,” he told journalists at NATO headquarters.
“That’s a very, very important, critical difference that I think the whole world needs to understand.”
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NATO urges Israel to respond with ‘proportionality’ in Gaza
NATO urges Israel to respond with ‘proportionality’ in Gaza
- In Gaza, officials have reported more than 1,200 people killed in Israel’s uninterrupted campaign of air and artillery strikes
Hamas armed wing confirms spokesman killed by Israel in August
GAZA CITY: Hamas’s armed wing confirmed on Monday the death of its spokesperson, Abu Obeida, months after Israel announced he had been killed in an air strike in Gaza.
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades released a video statement on its Telegram channel, saying: “We pause in reverence before... the masked man loved by millions... the great martyred commander and spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida.”
Israel previously announced it had killed Abu Obeida in a strike on Gaza on August 30.
During the war, Abu Obeida, whose real name was Hudhayfa Samir Al-Kahlout, emerged as a central figure eagerly awaited by Gazans, as well as by Arab and international media, for official statements from Hamas’s military wing, particularly those related to prisoner-exchange operations.
Born on February 11, 1985, and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Abu Obeida joined Hamas at an early age before becoming a member of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades.
He later became the group’s sole spokesman, delivering video statements in military uniform with his face consistently concealed by a red keffiyeh.
He had been the target of multiple Israeli assassination attempts.
According to Hamas officials, Abu Obeida embodied what they describe as “resistance” and was known for fiery and impactful speeches, many of which included threats against Israel or announcements of military operations.
“For many years, only a very small circle of Hamas officials knew his true identity,” a Hamas official told AFP.
Israel has decimated Hamas’s leadership, saying it seeks to eradicate the group following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war.
The video announcing Abu Obeida’s death was delivered by a masked man dressed in the former spokesperson’s distinctive style, who said he would adopt his predecessor’s name for future statements.
In the same video, he also announced the deaths of four other Hamas commanders in Israeli attacks during the war.
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades released a video statement on its Telegram channel, saying: “We pause in reverence before... the masked man loved by millions... the great martyred commander and spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida.”
Israel previously announced it had killed Abu Obeida in a strike on Gaza on August 30.
During the war, Abu Obeida, whose real name was Hudhayfa Samir Al-Kahlout, emerged as a central figure eagerly awaited by Gazans, as well as by Arab and international media, for official statements from Hamas’s military wing, particularly those related to prisoner-exchange operations.
Born on February 11, 1985, and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Abu Obeida joined Hamas at an early age before becoming a member of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades.
He later became the group’s sole spokesman, delivering video statements in military uniform with his face consistently concealed by a red keffiyeh.
He had been the target of multiple Israeli assassination attempts.
According to Hamas officials, Abu Obeida embodied what they describe as “resistance” and was known for fiery and impactful speeches, many of which included threats against Israel or announcements of military operations.
“For many years, only a very small circle of Hamas officials knew his true identity,” a Hamas official told AFP.
Israel has decimated Hamas’s leadership, saying it seeks to eradicate the group following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war.
The video announcing Abu Obeida’s death was delivered by a masked man dressed in the former spokesperson’s distinctive style, who said he would adopt his predecessor’s name for future statements.
In the same video, he also announced the deaths of four other Hamas commanders in Israeli attacks during the war.
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