How the world is reacting to Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan to seize control of Gaza City, triggering growing international condemnation with world leaders warning of dire humanitarian consequences.

The plan to take over Gaza’s largest city was announced on Friday, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to take military control of the entire Gaza Strip.

Israel’s plan to expand its assault on Gaza is expected to worsen the humanitarian devastation in the besieged enclave, triggering a further wave of mass displacements during a hunger crisis.

Here is how the world is reacting to the Israeli plan:

UN Secretary General

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is “gravely alarmed” by Israel’s decision to take control of Gaza City.

“This decision marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians” and Israeli captives in Gaza, his 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 the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law,” it added.

UN rights chief

“The Israeli Government’s plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement.

“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 realisation of the agreed two-State solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination,” Turk added.

Palestinian presidency

The Palestinian presidency condemned Netanyahu’s announcement that Israel intends to seize full control of the Gaza Strip.

“This is a complete crime,” the office of President Mahmoud Abbas said, describing it as a continuation of “genocide, systematic killing, starvation and siege”, according to a report by the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The presidency warned that Israel’s actions would lead to an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe”.

Hamas

Hamas warned that the Israeli government’s decision to escalate the war would amount to “sacrificing” the captives being held in Gaza.

“The decision to occupy Gaza confirms that the criminal Netanyahu and his Nazi government do not care about the fate of their captives,” the group said in a statement. “They understand that expanding the aggression means sacrificing them.”

Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The Palestinian armed group said Israel’s plans to expand its assault on Gaza were “a new chapter in the war of extermination”.

In a statement, the group said, “The Zionist entity’s government is preparing to escalate its massacres in Gaza,” adding, “We hold Arab governments and the West responsible for curbing this escalation.”

It accused Netanyahu of pushing for “forced displacement”, saying his “escalation, fully supported by the Trump administration, aims to occupy the Gaza Strip”.

British prime minister

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Israel’s decision to step up military operations in Gaza “wrong” and urged restraint.

“The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately,” he said.

“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.”

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

China expressed “serious concerns” over Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City and urged it 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 hostages is an immediate ceasefire,” the spokesperson added.

German chancellor

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany will not authorise any exports to Israel of military equipment that could be used in Gaza “until further notice”.

“The even harsher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, approved by the Israeli cabinet last night, makes it increasingly difficult for the German government to see how these goals will be achieved,” he said.

“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.”

France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

France condemned Israel’s plan to establish military control of Gaza City, warning it would lead to 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 foreign ministry said in a statement posted to social media.

“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.”

Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Turkiye said the decision to take control of Gaza City intends to force out Palestinians, and it called for international leaders to prevent the plan from being carried out.

“We call on the international community to fulfil its responsibilities to prevent the implementation of this decision, which aims to forcibly displace Palestinians from their own land,” the ministry said, according to the Reuters news agency.

Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Egypt condemned “in the strongest terms” the decision of the Israeli cabinet on Gaza, a statement by the country’s foreign ministry said.

“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 realisation of their independent state, and liquidate the Palestinian cause – all in blatant and unacceptable violation of international law and international humanitarian law,” the statement said.

Egypt also called on the international community to assume their political, legal and moral responsibilities, and to take urgent action to stop “Israel’s policy of lawlessness and arrogance of power”.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Riyadh condemned any Israeli move to take control of Gaza, according to a ministry statement.

Saudi Arabia “categorically denounces Israeli occupation authorities’ persistence in committing crimes of starvation, brutal practices, and ethnic cleansing against the brotherly Palestinian people”, it said.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City. It “is another clear sign of the Zionist regime’s specific intention to ethnically cleanse Gaza and commit genocide against the Palestinians,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement.

Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates

The ministry in Amman “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 accused Israel of 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 as its capital”.

 

 

European Commission president

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Union’s executive branch, said Israel must reconsider its plan to take control of Gaza City.

“The Israeli government’s decision to further extend its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered,” she wrote on X.

European Council president

Israel’s decision to take over Gaza City “must have consequences for EU-Israel relations”, EU Council President Antonio Costa said, urging the Israeli government 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, who heads the European Council that represents EU member states, added in a statement on X.

Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Belgium said it would summon the Israeli ambassador in response to the Israeli security cabinet’s decision.

The ministry said Belgium wanted to “express total disapproval of this decision, but also of the continued colonisation … and the desire to annex the West Bank”, adding that it will “vigorously advocate” for a reversal of this decision.

“Following the official confirmation by the Israeli government of its intention to encircle and then occupy Gaza City and take military control of the entire Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot has decided to summon the Israeli Ambassador,” it said.

Spanish foreign minister

Jose Manuel Albares said, “We firmly condemn the decision of the Israeli government to escalate the military occupation of Gaza. It will only cause more destruction and suffering.”

He added that “a permanent ceasefire, the immediate and massive entry of humanitarian aid, and the release of all hostages are urgently needed.”

Swedish foreign minister

Sweden’s foreign minister said the Israeli government’s decision to escalate the assault on Gaza would make it harder to reach a truce.

“I view with great concern the decision that the Israeli government has made,” Maria Malmer Stenergard told the Swedish broadcaster SVT. “We need a ceasefire, and this decision risks taking the development in the opposite direction.”

“I have previously reiterated that any attempt to annex, change or reduce the territory of Gaza would violate international law,” she said.

Finnish foreign minister

Elina Valtonen expressed deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning of a looming famine.

“We hope for an immediate Gaza ceasefire and the immediate release of Israeli hostages,” Valtonen said, according to Reuters.

Danish foreign minister

Israel’s decision to intensify its military operation in Gaza is wrong and should immediately be reversed, Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Denmark’s TV2.

Dutch foreign minister

The top diplomat of the Netherlands criticised Israel’s plan to expand its military campaign in Gaza, calling it “a wrong move”.

The plan of the Netanyahu government to intensify Israeli operations in Gaza is a wrong move,” Caspar Veldkamp wrote on X. “The [Gaza] humanitarian situation is catastrophic and demands immediate improvement. This decision in no way contributes to this and will also not help to get the hostages home.”

Canadian prime minister

Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City is “wrong” and will put the lives of the remaining hostages at greater risk, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Friday.

Australian foreign minister

Canberra warned that Israel’s plans to take control of the entire Gaza Strip would deepen the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

“With international partners, Australia maintains our call for a ceasefire, the return of hostages and aid to flow unimpeded,” she said.

“Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international law,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said as she renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire.

Wong also reiterated Australia’s growing support for Palestinian statehood, saying it was a matter of “when not if”.

Pakistani prime minister

Pakistan “strongly” condemned Israel’s plan to militarily take over Gaza City, warning it will “derail any prospect for peace”.

The plan “tantamounts to a dangerous escalation in an already catastrophic war against the people of Palestine,” Prime Minister Shehbaz 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 added.

He called on the international community to “intervene urgently” to stop Israel’s “unwarranted aggression,” and ensure the protection of civilians.

Israeli opposition leader

Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the decision to seize Gaza City.

“This is a disaster which will lead to many more disasters,” he posted on X, accusing Netanyahu of caving to pressure from his far-right ministers. He said the move ignored military advice and the exhaustion of Israel’s soldiers.

The cabinet decision will be “a disaster for generations to come”, Lapid wrote.