LONDON — On the heels of Israel’s safety cupboard approving plans to occupy Gaza Metropolis, the United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, mentioned “this additional escalation will lead to extra killing, extra insufferable struggling, mindless destruction,” in keeping with an announcement launched Friday morning.
Turk referred to as for the offensive to be “instantly halted.”
“The Israeli Authorities’s plan for a whole navy takeover of the occupied Gaza strip have to be instantly halted,” Turk mentioned. “It runs opposite to the ruling of the Worldwide Court docket of Justice that Israel should deliver its occupation to an finish as quickly as potential, to the realisation of the agreed two-State answer and to the proper of Palestinians to self-determination.”
A Palestinian boy carries a stroller on the web site of a morning Israeli strike on a home, in Gaza Metropolis, Aug. 8, 2025.
Mahmoud Issa/Reuters
European Union Council President Antonio Costa strongly urged the Israeli authorities to rethink its choice to take over Gaza Metropolis, saying it should solely worsen the state of affairs in Gaza.
“Such an operation — along with the continued unlawful enlargement of settlements within the West Financial institution, the huge destruction in Gaza, the blockade of humanitarian support, and the unfold of famine — not solely violates the settlement with the EU introduced by the Excessive Consultant on July 19 but in addition undermines basic ideas of worldwide regulation and common values,” Costa mentioned in a post on social media.
“Such a call should have penalties for EU-Israel relations,” he mentioned.
“The state of affairs in Gaza stays dramatic, and the choice by the Israeli authorities will solely additional worsen it. The 2-state answer stays the one sustainable, long-term answer for peace and safety in Israel and the area,” Costa mentioned.
Germany, one among Israel’s closest allies, introduced Friday it should droop the exports of arms to Israel that could possibly be used within the Gaza Strip “till additional discover.” Germany mentioned the “launch of hostages and purposeful negotiations on a ceasefire are our high precedence.”
“The even harsher navy motion by the Israeli military within the Gaza Strip, permitted final night time by the Israeli Safety Cupboard, makes it more and more troublesome, from the German authorities’s perspective, to see how these targets are to be achieved,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz mentioned in an announcement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed again on the choice.
“Germany is rewarding Hamas terrorism by embargoing arms to Israel,” Netanyahu mentioned in an announcement launched after he spoke with Merz.
Germany is the second-biggest exporter of navy gear to Israel, after the U.S., in keeping with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes encompass makeshift shelters for displaced Palestinians in Gaza Metropolis on Aug. 8, 2025. Israel’s navy will “take management” of Gaza Metropolis beneath a brand new plan permitted by the Premier’s safety cupboard, touching off a wave of criticism from each inside and outdoors the nation.
Bashar Taleb/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
In response to Israel’s plans to take over Gaza Metropolis, Hamas claimed this was the rationale Israel withdrew from the final spherical of negotiations, and that that they had been “on the verge of reaching an settlement for a ceasefire and prisoner change.”
Hamas referred to as Israel’s newest plan a brand new struggle crime, saying the Israeli authorities “don’t care concerning the destiny of their captives,” and that they’re sacrificing them.
Hamas reaffirmed “most flexibility and positivity” towards a ceasefire, however warned Israel the present plan “will come at a excessive value and won’t be a stroll within the park.”
Members of the family of hostages and different protesters gathered in entrance of the constructing the place the Israeli cupboard was in session to protest Netanyahu’s present proposal to occupy all of Gaza, calling the transfer a “dying sentence” for the remaining hostages in an announcement from the Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board Headquarters.
“For a yr and ten months we have been attempting to consider that every little thing is being executed to deliver them again – you will have failed. Now it’s a necessity to do the one factor the federal government hasn’t but executed – put a complete deal on the desk that may deliver all of them house collectively,” mentioned Anat Angrest, mom of hostage Matan Angrest.
Israel’s plan for an enlargement of navy operations comes amid worldwide condemnation of the deteriorating humanitarian state of affairs within the Gaza Strip.
“The Safety Cupboard has permitted the Prime Minister’s proposal for the defeat of Hamas,” the Israeli prime minister’s workplace mentioned in an announcement launched on Thursday. “The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will put together for the takeover of Gaza Metropolis whereas making certain the availability of humanitarian support to the civilian inhabitants outdoors the fight zones.”
Turk, nevertheless, mentioned that the potential escalation will solely result in extra issues within the area. resulting in, what he says, “mindless destruction and atrocity crimes.”
“The struggle in Gaza should finish now. And Israelis and Palestinians have to be allowed to dwell aspect by aspect in peace,” mentioned Turk. “As an alternative of intensifying this struggle, the Israeli Authorities ought to put all its efforts into saving the lives of Gaza’s civilians by permitting the complete, unfettered circulate of humanitarian support. The hostages have to be instantly and unconditionally launched by Palestinian armed teams. Palestinians arbitrarily detained by Israel should even be instantly and unconditionally launched.”
Palestinians examine the location of a morning Israeli strike on a home, in Gaza Metropolis, August 8, 2025.
Mahmoud Issa/Reuters
In a Fox Information interview earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned repeatedly that he doesn’t need to “govern Gaza,” however he desires to “hand it over to Arab forces that may govern it correctly with out threatening” Israel.
Hamas, responding to the Fox Information interview, mentioned in an announcement that “Netanyahu’s statements signify a blatant reversal of the negotiation course of and clearly expose the actual motives behind his withdrawal from the newest spherical of talks, regardless of us nearing a ultimate settlement.”
On Sunday, an Israeli official informed ABC Information that Netanyahu was pushing to develop the navy operation in Gaza on the grounds that he felt Hamas is just not concerned about reaching a brand new ceasefire deal beneath which surviving hostages could possibly be launched.
When requested concerning the potential enlargement of the marketing campaign in Gaza, U.S. State Division spokesperson Tammy Bruce mentioned Tuesday, “Reporting is one factor. Actual plans could be one other. We’re not within the enterprise of decoding statements from international governments when and in the event that they’re made.”
“We do stay targeted on liberating the hostages, together with the stays of two Individuals, and making certain that Hamas by no means guidelines Gaza once more,” Bruce mentioned.
