Israel

The United Nations Human Rights Chief is among several world leaders who condemn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so that the Israeli army takes care of the city of Gaza and expanding its control of Loop. The plan, which was approved by Israel’s security cabinet during the night, would see an expansion of military operations in Gaza despite the growing criticisms at home and abroad.

“The Israeli government plan for a complete military acquisition of the busy Gaza Strip must stop immediately,” Volker Türk said in a statement on Friday.

“In all tests to date, this additional escalation will result in a more massive forced displacement, more murder, more unbearable suffering, meaningless destruction and crimes of atrocity,” Türk said.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, said in a statement that the Israeli plan was “incorrect.” He said that “I would do nothing to put an end to this conflict or to help ensure the liberation of hostages.”

“It will only bring more bloodshed,” said Starmer.

The Netanyahu office said during the night that “the IDF will prepare to take control of the city of Gaza while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat areas.”

In a statement, Prime Minister’s office also said that five new principles had been adopted to conclude the war in Gaza: disarm Hamas, return to all hostages, “demilitarization” of Gaza, “Israeli security control” in Gaza and “the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither the Hamas nor the Palestinian authority.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday that, due to the plan, Germany will not approve the export of any military team that can be used in Gaza until an additional warning.

Merz said that while it was the right of Israel to disarm Hamas and seek the liberation of hostages, “the German government believes that even harder military action in the Gaza Strip decided by the Israeli cabinet last night makes it increasingly difficult to see how these objectives can be achieved.”

The extreme right members of the Netanyahu government have been pressing for the total acquisition of Gaza by Israel, although the Israeli army warned that it could endanger the lives of the approximately 20 surviving hostages that stop there. There have also been generalized protests in Israel against the plan.

The group that represents the families of those hostages condemned the decision on Friday.

“The decision of the Cabinet last night to pursue the occupation of the Gaza Strip means abandoning the hostages, while completely ignoring the repeated warnings of military leadership and the clear will of the majority of the Israeli public,” said the forum of missing families and families. “Our government is guiding us towards a colossal catastrophe for both hostages and soldiers. The cabinet chose last night to embark on another reckless march, behind hostages, soldiers and Israeli society as a whole.”

Hamas also condemned the decision, saying that “it constitutes a new war crime.”

“We are still committed to taking all necessary measures to pave the way for an agreement, including the advance towards an integral agreement that guarantees the release of all occupation prisoners in a lot, which leads to the end of war and the withdrawal of the occupation forces,” Hamas said in a statement. “Let’s warn the criminal occupation that this reckless company will have a high cost and it will not be a walk through the park.”

• Israel
• Loop
• Gaza pull
• Netanyahu