The Western military alliance NATO voiced its support for Israel Thursday, but urged it to respond with "proportionality."
The call came as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed his counterparts from the U.S.-led military alliance via video link as his country carries out a massive bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip in response to a Hamas incursion last Saturday.
In a statement NATO said that Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the attacks in the strongest possible terms, adding that "Israel does not stand alone."
While the allies expressed solidarity with Israel and its right to self-defense, they also urged it to do so with proportionality.
NATO countries also called for Hamas to immediately release all hostages and for the fullest possible protection of civilians.
"Allies also made clear that no nation or organisation should seek to take advantage of the situation or to escalate it," the statement added.
Earlier Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a similar call on Israel saying it was not conducting itself "like a state" in the Gaza Strip and that a disproportionate response would put the country's global image at risk.
"Israel should not forget that if it acts more like an organization rather than a state, it'll finish by being treated as such," Erdoğan said.
In Gaza, officials have reported more than 1,300 people killed in Israel's uninterrupted campaign of air and artillery strikes, while the U.N. said more than 338,000 people have been displaced.
U.S. President Joe Biden – who has strongly backed Israel and started sending military aid – has also cautioned that Israel must, despite "all the anger and frustration ... operate by the rules of war."
