Israeli plan for Gaza takeover must be halted immediately, UN rights chief says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the Israeli government’s plan for a full-scale military takeover of Gaza will cause more deaths and suffering.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
LONDON - The Israeli government’s plan for a full-scale military takeover of Gaza
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
Israel’s security Cabinet approved a plan early on Aug 8 to take control of Gaza City, as the country expands its military operations despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating almost two-year-old war.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Aug 8 that Israel intended to take military control of the entire Gaza Strip.
“On all evidence to date, this further escalation will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes,” Mr Turk said.
“Instead of intensifying this war, the Israeli government should put all its efforts into saving the lives of Gaza’s civilians by allowing the full, unfettered flow of humanitarian aid. The hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released by Palestinian armed groups.”
Militant group Hamas slammed the Israeli plan as a “new war crime”, warning that the operation would cost it “dearly”.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Israel’s decision to take control of Gaza City was wrong and urged the Israeli government to reconsider.
“This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed,” he said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany will halt the export of military equipment to Israel which could be used in the Gaza Strip.
He said it was “increasingly difficult to understand” how the Israeli military plan would help achieve legitimate aims and added: “Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice.”
Australia urged Israel “not to go down this path”, with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong saying that permanent forced displacement was a violation of international law. She repeated calls for a ceasefire, aid to flow unimpeded and for Hamas to return the hostages taken in October 2023.
“Australia calls on Israel to not go down this path, which will only worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” Ms Wong said in a statement.
“A two-state solution is the only pathway to secure an enduring peace – a Palestinian state and the State of Israel, living side by side in peace and security within internationally recognised borders,” she added.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Turkey condemned in the strongest terms Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, and called on the international community and UN Security Council to act to prevent the plan’s implementation.
The ministry said Israel must immediately halt its war plans, agree to a ceasefire in Gaza, and start negotiations for a two-state solution.
It said each step by Israel’s government to continue what Turkey called Israel’s genocide and occupation of Palestinian lands dealt a heavy blow to global security.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Egypt on Aug 9 for talks with senior officials, a foreign ministry source said.
During his visit to Cairo, Mr Fidan will meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other officials to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues, including the Gaza ceasefire negotiations – mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US – as well as Israel’s takeover plan, the source said.
Mr Fidan will “evaluate joint efforts to end the genocide in Gaza and allow the unhindered access of humanitarian aid into Gaza, emphasise that the occupying Israel’s actions targeting a two-state solution and its latest steps toward the annexation of Gaza are the biggest obstacle to regional peace and stability”, the source said.
China expressed “serious concerns” over Israel’s plan and urged it to “immediately cease its dangerous actions”.
“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson told AFP in a message.
“The correct way to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to secure the release of hostages is an immediate ceasefire,” the spokesperson added.
“A complete resolution to the Gaza conflict hinges on a ceasefire; only then can a path to de-escalation be paved and regional security ensured.” REUTERS, AFP
