United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday condemned Israel’s plan to seize Gaza City, with his spokesperson warning it constitutes “a dangerous escalation” likely to cause the forced displacement of Palestinians.
Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City to further expand Israel’s military offensive in the Palestinian enclave devastated by nearly a two-year Israeli assault. The plan drew strong criticism at home and abroad on Friday.
When asked by Fox News’ Bill Hemmer on Thursday if Israel would take over the entire coastal territory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “we intend to.”
“This decision marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians, and could further endanger more lives, including those of the remaining hostages,” the U.N. chief’s spokesperson said in a statement.
That decision “will result in additional forced displacement, killings and massive destruction, compounding the unimaginable suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza,” the statement added. Forced displacement is illegal under international law.
UN Rights Chief Condemns
The United Nations Human Rights Chief, Volker Turk, said on Friday that Israel’s plan for a full military takeover of Gaza will cause more deaths and suffering and must be stopped immediately.
The plan 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 realisation of the agreed two-state solution and the right of Palestinians to self-determination, Turk said in a statement.
Gaza’s health ministry says Israel’s military assault has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza’s entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
Israel’s offensive followed an October 2023 attack in which Palestinian Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show. That attack sparked the latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
(With inputs from Reuters)
