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NATO defense chiefs to discuss Israeli developments in Brussels next week - source

This issue is not yet on the agenda

BRUSSELS, October 8. /TASS/. Recent military developments in Israel will be discussed at a planned meeting of the NATO member-states’ defense ministers on October 11-12, but this issue is not yet on the agenda, a diplomatic source in Brussels told TASS on Sunday.

"We expect that a number of [NATO] allies, primarily the United States, would raise the issue of the war in Israel," the source said. "This issue is not on the present-day agenda, since NATO has no authority in the zone of the conflict, but it will be certainly discussed."

On the morning of October 7, rocket attacks were launched at the Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Simultaneously, groups of militants infiltrated the territory of Israel. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced it was launching Operation 'Iron Swords' in retaliation for the attack, coming from the Palestinian exclave.

Ismail Haniyeh, the current head of HAMAS's Political Bureau, said the Palestinian attack was launched in retaliation for Israel’s aggressive actions regarding the Al Aqsa mosque in central Jerusalem.

Under the evolving developments, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a call-up of reservists. The state of emergency was declared over the entire territory of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was "at war" and was determined to win it.

According to latest reports, the rocket attacks left at least 300 Israelis dead and over 1,500 injured.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement earlier in the day that Over 300 people were killed and some 1,900 sustained wounds following the recent Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip.