Gaza latest: Israel 'wrong' to escalate Gaza offensive, Starmer says, as IDF prepares to take Gaza City

Israel must end its plan on Gaza 'as soon as possible', UN human rights chief says

Israel must end its Gaza plan "as soon as possible", the UN high commissioner for human rights has said.

"This further escalation will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes," Volker Turk said. 

"The war in Gaza must end now. And Israelis and Palestinians must be allowed to live side by side in peace."

Turk added that Israel's government "should put all its efforts into saving the lives of Gaza's civilians by allowing the full, unfettered flow of humanitarian aid".

He also urged Palestinian armed groups to "immediately and unconditionally" release all the remaining hostages.

Senior Palestinian politician says Gaza plan shows Netanyahu 'never wanted to reach a ceasefire'

A senior Palestinian politician has condemned Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City, accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of pursuing the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

"Netanyahu proved that he doesn't care about Israeli captives, never wanted to reach a ceasefire agreement," Mustafa Barghouti said in a post on X.

He added that Netanyahu was using the destruction of Hamas "as a cover for his intention to ethnically cleanse all the Palestinian people in Gaza".

Barghouti said the Israeli security cabinet's decision amounted to "a declaration of a war crime of extermination, genocide and ethnic cleansing".

"Netanyahu wouldn't have dared commit all these crimes without the support of the American administration," he added.

Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of carrying out genocide in Gaza.

Speaking on the plan, Netanyahu told Fox News he wanted to hand Gaza over to Arab forces (see 7.53 post).

"We don't want to keep it, we want to have a security perimeter," he said.

Turkey calls on Israel to halt its Gaza war plans

More reaction to bring you now to Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City, this time from Turkey.

The country's foreign ministry said Israel must immediately halt its war plans and agree a ceasefire in Gaza.

It also urged Israel to start negotiations for a two-state solution, saying the continuation of the war deals a heavy blow to global security.

Turkey urged the international community and the United Nations Security Council to prevent the implementation of Israel's new plan.

Israeli public 'stunned' by Netanyahu's Gaza plan

The Israeli public is "stunned and in shock" that the direction of the Israeli government is towards "conquering Gaza", a journalist at Israeli publication Haaretz has said.

Speaking to our presenter Gareth Barlow, Allison Kaplan Sommer said there is a "strong belief that the far-right elements in his [Netanyahu's] government have a dream of completely and permanently reoccupying Gaza".

She explained that Netanyahu's talk of eventually turning Gaza over to a civilian government "doesn't really hold water" because he had nearly two years to work on a solution that would replace Hamas with a different government.

"I think Israelis are very surprised at what's going on, but Netanyahu does have a base," she added.

"There's a solid 30-40% of the population that does believe that a total victory needs to be pursued and then Hamas can be wiped out.

"But we shouldn't forget that the issue of the hostages is very sensitive in Israel and it's an argument that beats everything."

Israeli government accused of 'sentencing living hostages to death' with new Gaza plan

The Israeli government has "sentenced the living hostages to death and the fallen hostages to disappearance" with its decision to expand military operations in Gaza, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

"The cabinet decision to launch the process of occupying the Strip is an official declaration of the abandonment of the hostages, while completely ignoring the repeated warning by the military echelon and the clear desire of more of the public in Israel," it said, as the Times of Israel reports.

The group, which represents loved ones of the hostages seized by Hamas on 7 October 2023, also accused the Israeli government of acting against the national interest with a "foolish" move of "deception and unforgivable moral and security neglect" that brings Israel closer to a "colossal disaster for the hostages and [IDF] fighters".

However, it added that the move can be stopped if a comprehensive deal to end the war and return all hostages is reached.

For its part, the Israeli government has made the return of all the hostages the second part of its five-point plan to end the war (see 7.53 post).

'Catastrophic consequences': UN official's warning ahead of Israeli security cabinet meeting

Israel expanding its military operations throughout Gaza could have "catastrophic consequences", a United Nations official warned earlier this week.

Assistant secretary-general Miroslav Jenca told a UN Security Council briefing on Tuesday that the plan was "deeply alarming".

"This would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza," he said.

The UN meeting was called by Israel to discuss the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza after Hamas released footage of two emaciated hostages.

Jenca described footage of Evaytar David digging his own grave as "appalling" and said that the images of him and Rom Braslavsky were "an affront to humanity itself".

Starmer condemns Israel's decision on Gaza and urges it to 'reconsider immediately'

We've just heard from Sir Keir Starmer, who has given his reaction to the decision by Israel's security cabinet.

Starmer said the decision to further escalate the Gaza offensive "is wrong" and he urged Israel to "reconsider immediately".

"This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages," he said.

"It will only bring more bloodshed."

Starmer said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening every day, with hostages taken by Hamas being held in "appalling" conditions.

"What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution," Starmer added. 

"Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm."

Starmer said the UK is working on a long-term plan with its allies to secure peace in the region as part of a two-state solution.

However, he added that without both sides engaging in good faith negotiations, "that prospect is vanishing before our eyes".

"Our message is clear: a diplomatic solution is possible, but both parties must step away from the path of destruction."

-SKY NEWS