Israel’s US-backed plot to seize Gaza City and forcibly displace nearly a million Palestinians to concentration zones in the south has sparked widespread international condemnations, with world leaders warning of a potential humanitarian catastrophe and further destabilization in the region.
Israel’s war cabinet approved on Friday a military blueprint to capture Gaza City and tighten its grip on the blockaded strip, which has been relentlessly bombarded since the genocidal war began on October 7, 2023.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier announced that the Tel Aviv regime intended to “take control” of the entire Palestinian territory, where more than 61,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed over the past 22 months.
The announcements have ignited a firestorm of global outrage and opposition. World leaders expressed concern and dismay over the potential consequences of such an occupation.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) rebuked in a statement the Israeli decision to extend full control over the entire Gaza Strip and forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip to the south.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the decision of the Israeli occupying authorities to reoccupy the entire Gaza Strip and displace nearly one million Palestinians,” the OIC said, stressing that the plan constitutes an escalation in the series of Israeli crimes of genocide, destruction, starvation, displacement, and siege of the Gaza Strip.
The organization said it would “hold Israel, as the occupying power, fully responsible for the consequences of these crimes, which exacerbate the unprecedented human suffering in the Gaza Strip.”
The OIC also called on the UN Security Council to take immediate and decisive action to assume its responsibilities by imposing a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire.
Israeli takeover of Gaza risks captives’ lives: Hamas
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas censured the move and warned that the Israeli regime’s decision to escalate the war by taking over the entire Gaza Strip could risk the lives of captives held in the strip.
“The decision to occupy Gaza confirms that the criminal Netanyahu and his Nazi [cabinet] do not care about the fate of their captives,” the group said in a statement. “They understand that expanding the aggression means sacrificing them.”
Islamic Jihad: Gaza occupation a new chapter in ‘war of extermination’
The Islamic Jihad resistance movement also said Israel’s plans to expand its assault on Gaza were “a new chapter in the war of extermination.”
“The Zionist entity…is preparing to escalate its massacres in Gaza,” the group said in a statement, adding, “We hold Arab governments and the West responsible for curbing this escalation.”
The movement said Netanyahu was pushing for “forced displacement,” and his “escalation, fully supported by the Trump administration, aims to occupy the Gaza Strip.”
Occupying Gaza is a ‘complete crime’: PA
The Palestinian Authority also denounced the move as a “complete crime,” with the office of President Mahmoud Abbas describing it as a continuation of “genocide, systematic killing, starvation and siege.”
It warned that Israel’s actions would lead to an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.”
Israeli plan to occupy Gaza City ‘a dangerous escalation’: UN
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s office said he was “gravely alarmed” by the “dangerous escalation.”
“This decision marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians” and Israeli captives in Gaza, the office said in a statement, adding that further escalation will lead to “additional forced displacement, killings and massive destruction.”
The statement reiterated Guterres’s “urgent appeal for a permanent ceasefire.”
“The secretary general once again strongly urges…Israel to abide by its obligations under international law,” it added.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement that the Israeli plan “must be immediately halted.”
“It runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realization of the agreed two-State solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination,” Turk added.
EU warns of consequences for EU-Israel relations
EU Council President Antonio Costa said in a statement on X that Israel’s decision “must have consequences for EU-Israel relations,” calling on the Israeli regime to reconsider.
“Not only [does the decision] violate the agreement with the EU announced by the High Representative on July 19, but also undermines fundamental principles of international law and universal values,” Costa added.
Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Union’s executive branch, said Israel must revisit its plan to take control of Gaza.
“The Israeli … decision to further extend its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered,” she wrote on X.
UK slams Israel’s ‘wrong’ decision; Germany halts arms exports
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Israel’s decision “wrong” and urged restraint.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin would not authorize any exports to Israel of military equipment that could be used in Gaza “until further notice.”
France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s plan to establish military control of Gaza City, warning it would lead to a deadlock in efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict.
“Such actions would constitute further serious violations of international law and lead to a complete dead end,” the ministry said. “They would undermine the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians to live in peace within a viable, sovereign and contiguous state, and pose a threat to regional stability.”
The foreign ministers of Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and France condemned Israel’s plan in a joint statement late on Friday, saying it risked “violating international humanitarian law.”
They said the plan would also “aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the [Israeli captives], and further risk the mass displacement of civilians.”
“Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law,” the statement added.
China urges Israel to cease its ‘dangerous’ actions
China expressed “serious concerns” and urged Israel to “immediately cease its dangerous actions.”
“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory,” a ministry spokesperson told the AFP news agency in a message. “The correct way to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to secure the release of [captives] is an immediate ceasefire.”
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the Israeli plan intends to force out Palestinians, calling on international leaders to prevent the move.
“We call on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities to prevent the implementation of this decision, which aims to forcibly displace Palestinians from their own land,” the ministry said.
Gaza City occupation ‘entrenchment’ of Israeli occupation: Egypt
Egypt also condemned “in the strongest terms” the decision of the Israeli cabinet.
“This plan aims to entrench the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, continue the war of extermination in Gaza, eliminate all elements of life for the Palestinian people, undermine their right to self-determination and the realization of their independent state, and liquidate the Palestinian cause – all in blatant and unacceptable violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”
Egypt called on the international community to assume its political, legal, and moral responsibilities, and to take urgent action to stop “Israel’s policy of lawlessness and arrogance of power.”
Occupying Gaza City derails peace talks: Pakistan
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “strongly” warned that the move will “derail any prospect for peace.”
The plan “tantamounts to a dangerous escalation in an already catastrophic war against the people of Palestine,” Sharif said on his X account.
“This expansion of military operations will only worsen the already existing humanitarian crisis and derail any prospect for peace in the region.”
He called on the international community to “intervene urgently” to stop Israel’s “unwarranted aggression,” and ensure the protection of civilians.
Saudi Arabia denounces the move; Qatar warns of worsening humanitarian crisis
Saudi Arabia said it “categorically denounces Israeli occupation authorities’ persistence in committing crimes of starvation, brutal practices, and ethnic cleansing against the brotherly Palestinian people.”
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that Israel’s decision marked a “dangerous escalation” that risks exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian crisis and undermining efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire.
The ministry urged the international community to take “immediate action” to prevent Israel from moving ahead with the plan.
Jordan slams Israel’s decision as a ‘grave violation’ of international law
In a statement, Jordan “condemned, in the strongest terms, the plan” approved by Israel that “aims to entrench its occupation of the Gaza Strip and expand full military control over it.”
The statement also said Israel was committing “grave violations of international law and international humanitarian law,” and undermining “the two-state solution and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem [al-Quds] as its capital.”
Israel’s decision to cause loss of more ‘innocent lives’: UAE
The United Arab Emirates warned that Israel’s decision will lead to “catastrophic consequences,” including “further loss of innocent life and a worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
The Emirati Foreign Ministry called on the UN and the international community to halt Israel’s illegal practices, stressing that upholding the rights of the Palestinian people was “no longer a matter of political discretion, but a moral, humanitarian, and legal imperative.”
Belgium summons Israeli ambassador
Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would summon the Israeli ambassador in response to the regime’s decision on Gaza.
The ministry said Belgium wanted to “express total disapproval of this decision, but also of the continued colonization … and the desire to annex the West Bank,” adding that it will “vigorously advocate” for a reversal of the plan.
Gaza occupation leads to more suffering: Spain
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said, “We firmly condemn the decision of the Israeli [cabinet] to escalate the military occupation of Gaza. It will only cause more destruction and suffering.”
Albares added that, “A permanent ceasefire, the immediate and massive entry of humanitarian aid, and the release of all [captives] are urgently needed.”
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Friday that Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City is “wrong” and will put the lives of the remaining captives at greater risk.
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