Israel-Hamas conflict: NATO allies demand hostage release, chief advises nations against escalation

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg addressed the unfolding dispute between Israel and Gaza on Thursday following a two-day defence ministers' meeting in Brussels, Belgium. He advised that "no nation or organization hostile to Israel" should "seek to take advantage of the situation or to escalate the conflict" — naming Iran and Hezbollah as examples.

Though he said "NATO, as an alliance, is not directly involved" in the conflict, Stoltenberg reaffirmed that "a number of NATO allies" are requesting "proportionality," while making it clear they are providing support to help impacted citizens in the Middle East in any way they can.

Furthermore, Stoltenberg said allies have demanded the immediate release of hostages, revealing Israel's defence minister showed the other defence ministers a "shocking video" capturing some of the "brutal atrocities and the violence that Hamas" has committed since last Saturday's unexpected attack on Israel.

"That's also the reason why allies have so strongly condemned this horrific attack against the civilians in Israel and against Israel," Stoltenberg said. "And as this conflict evolves, it is important to protect civilians."

Additionally, the NATO chief provided an update on Sweden's in-the-works NATO membership, confirming he moved forward on "speedy ratification" and that Turkey still stands by an agreement made earlier this summer to soon help finalize Swedish accession.

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