NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that while Israel has the right to defend itself against attacks, he expects the response to the Hamas attack over the weekend to be proportionate, Al Jazeera reported.

Jens StoltenbergPhoto: Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP / Profimedia Images
  • “(I) expect that, of course, when we see Israel’s responses, they will be proportionate, and that’s important because in this conflict, everything must be done to prevent the loss of innocent civilians,” he said.

Irish Prime Minister warns Israel of “disproportionate” response in Gaza

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has a similar warning, who told the Israeli government that international solidarity after the Hamas attacks could “evaporate” if its response in Gaza is disproportionate, writes DPA, reports Agerpres.

  • “Ireland’s position in this regard is very clear – Israel is a democratic state, it is a sovereign state, it is a state recognized at the international level, it has the right to exist.
  • Unfortunately, he is surrounded by enemies who want to wipe him off the face of the earth, so he must be able to defend himself.
  • But it should be proportionate. And we’re making it very clear to the Israeli government that while there’s a lot of solidarity now from the US, from the European countries (that stand behind Israel), that solidarity can disappear, and I think it will, if Israel’s response in Gaza is disproportionate , especially if it is directed against civilians.
  • We are very much against civil infrastructure being without water, electricity, we think this is a very wrong approach,” he said.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip rose to at least 1,100 on Wednesday.

Hamas, the Islamist militant group that rules Gaza, killed Israeli civilians in border towns and at a music festival on Saturday. According to the army, the number of dead in Israel exceeds 1,200 people.

Israel responded with massive air strikes on the densely populated and impoverished Palestinian enclave. He also imposed a “total siege” by cutting off public services.

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