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Summary
Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City marks “a dangerous escalation” that risks “deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians”, the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said. That decision “will result in additional forced displacement, killings and massive destruction, compounding the unimaginable suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza,” a statement from the UN chief’s spokesperson added.
The UN Security Council will meet in a rare weekend session on Saturday to discuss the situation. The meeting at 7pm GMT had been requested by several members of the security council as global concern mounts over Israel’s plan.
The German government will not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice, chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday in response to Israel’s plan to expand its military operations there. Netanyahu accused the German government of “rewarding Hamas terrorism”. The move is hugely significant from Germany, which believes it has a special responsibility towards Israel and is its second-largest arms supplier after the US.
France joined the chorus of countries including among others the UK, China, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, condemning the Israeli plan, saying it would “worsen an already catastrophic situation without enabling the release of Hamas hostages, its disarmament, or its surrender”. France’s ministry of foreign affairs has issued a press release, condemning the plan “in the strongest terms”. It reads: “These actions would constitute further serious violations of international law and lead to an absolute stalemate. They would undermine the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians to live in peace in a viable, sovereign, and contiguous state, and pose a threat to regional stability.” The ministry added that Israel’s plans would “in no way” contribute to the security of Israelis, including the remaining hostages in Gaza. The future of Gaza should be through a “framework of a future Palestinian state led by the Palestinian Authority”, it said.
Israel’s decision to take over Gaza City “must have consequences for EU-Israel relations”, EU Council president Antonio Costa said on Friday, adding that this will be assessed by the Council and that he urged the Israeli government to reconsider.
Hamas warned the Israeli government that seizing control of Gaza City would amount to “sacrificing” the hostages still being held in the Palestinian territory. The group said: “The decision to occupy Gaza confirms that the criminal [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his Nazi government do not care about the fate of their captives.”
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert told CNN that Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City won’t save the remaining hostages, but will rather endanger lives and “increase the number of crimes” in the territory. He told CNN today that an expanded military operation “is not going to save the hostages, is going to cost the lives of many soldiers, and is going to cost the lives of many non-involved Palestinians”. Olmert, was prime minister from 2006 to 2009, blamed the decision on Benjamin Netanyahu’s struggle to hold together his government.
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