The Head of Human Rights of the United Nations is one of several world leaders condemning The plan of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so that the Israeli army takes control of Gaza City and extends its control of Gaza. The plan, which was approved by the Israeli security firm overnight, would see an expansion of military operations in Gaza despite increasing criticism in the country and abroad.
“The Israeli government’s plan for complete military control of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately interrupted,” Volker Türk said in a statement.
“On all the evidence to date, this additional escalation will lead to a more massive forced displacement, more killings, more unbearable suffering, insane destruction and crimes of atrocity,” said Türk.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement that the Israeli plan was “false”. He said it “would do nothing to put an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of hostages”.
“This will no longer bring blood effusions,” said Starmer.
On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said that “FDI prepares to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside of combat areas”.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s office also declared that five new principles had been adopted to conclude the war in Gaza: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, “the demilitarization” of Gaza “,” Israeli security control “in Gaza and” the establishment of a civil administration alternative which is neither Hamas nor the authority of the Palestinians “.
Bashar Taleb / AFP via Getty Images
The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday that because of the plan, Germany will not approve of the export of military equipment which could be used in Gaza until further notice.
Merz said that if it was Israel’s right to disarm Hamas and seek the release of hostages, “the German government believes that military action even more difficult in the Gaza Strip decided by the Israeli cabinet last night makes it more and more difficult to see how these objectives can be achieved.”
Far -right members of the government of Netanyahu have put pressure on the total control of Gaza by Israel, although the Israeli army has warned that this could compromise the lives of about 20 surviving hostages held there. There have also been generalized demonstrations in Israel against the plan.
The group representing the families of these hostages condemned the decision on Friday.
“The decision of the cabinet last night to continue the occupation of the Gaza Strip means abandoning the hostages, while completely ignoring the repeated warnings of the military and clear will of the majority of the Israeli public,” said the watting forum and missing families. “Our government leads us to a colossal disaster for hostages and our soldiers. The cabinet chose last night to embark on another recklessness, on the back of the hostages, soldiers and Israeli society as a whole.”
Hamas also condemned the decision, saying that it “constitutes a new war crime”.
“We remain determined to take all the necessary measures to open the way to an agreement, in particular by advancing towards a complete agreement which guarantees the release of all the prisoners of the occupation in a single batch – leading to the end of the war and the withdrawal of the occupation forces,” said Hamas in a statement. “We warn the criminal occupation that this reckless company will have a high cost and will not be a walk in the park.”
