
HAMAS has denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to seize full control of Gaza, calling it an extension of his ‘genocidal and displacement policies’.
Hamas said the scheme was a deliberate reversal of ceasefire negotiations and proof Netanyahu was willing to ‘sacrifice’ Israeli captives to advance his personal and ideological aims.
It warned that any escalation will have ‘significant repercussions’ for Israeli forces and urged Arab, Islamic, and international actors to halt the plan and hold Israel’s leaders accountable.
Netanyahu’s now approved proposal involves a ground offensive to occupy Gaza City and expand operations into central refugee camps.
Israeli officials say the stated objectives are to eradicate Hamas and force the release of roughly 50 captives still held in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
This comes amid an ongoing war of genocide that has killed over 61,000 Palestinians since October 2023 through relentless bombardment and starvation tactics.
The United States has already given Israel the go-ahead, with President Donald Trump responding with ‘It’s up to Israel’ when questioned on his view on the matter. Analysts say this amounts to a green light for ethnic cleansing and continued war crimes.
Netanyahu has told media that Israel ‘intends’ to take control of the entire Gaza Strip, which it officially withdrew from in 2005 after decades of occupation.
The plan has triggered widespread international condemnation. UN human rights chief Volker Türk said it must be ‘immediately halted’, warning it violates the International Court of Justice’s order to end the occupation and breaches Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the escalation ‘wrong’ and urged Israel to reconsider, warning it would only bring ‘more bloodshed’.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said the move aimed to forcibly displace Palestinians and called on world leaders to stop it.
China urged Israel to ‘immediately cease its dangerous actions’, stating Gaza is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory and that a ceasefire is the only path to resolving the crisis.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong warned that permanent forced displacement is a breach of international law and renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted aid.
In a significant shift, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced his government will suspend all arms exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip ‘until further notice’.
He said it was ‘increasingly difficult to understand’ how Israel’s military plan would achieve legitimate aims, adding: ‘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.’
Germany has historically been one of Israel’s largest arms suppliers, second only to the United States between 2020 and 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Inside Israel, hundreds protested outside Netanyahu’s office on Thursday, demanding an end to the war in exchange for the captives’ release.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the decision ‘a disaster’ that ignored military advice and would have consequences ‘for generations to come’.
Hundreds to defy Palestine Action ban
MORE than 500 people are expected to take part in today’s ‘Lift The Ban’ protest in and around Parliament Square, organisers Defend Our Juries have confirmed.
The action will see participants seated and holding signs reading ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action’.
The demonstration follows a government order banning such sign-holding, which has led to more than 200 arrests across the UK.
The order faces a judicial review in November after UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said it ‘contravenes international law’.
Amnesty International has written to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warning that arrests under the ban could breach human rights law.
Defend Our Juries said the scale of the protest poses a challenge for police, noting reports that Rowley had expected numbers ‘in the low hundreds’ and had planned to arrest everyone.
A spokesperson questioned ‘spending political capital and significant public resources on arresting more grandparents and NHS workers under the Terrorism Act in front of the world’s press’.
They added: ‘Palestine Action and people holding cardboard signs present no danger to the public at large.’
Since the ban was introduced, police responses have varied. Some forces have made no arrests, while others have detained people for long periods and carried out home raids, including in one case for displaying a Private Eye cartoon.
On Tuesday, more than 300 British Jews, including film director Mike Leigh, author Michael Rosen, and barrister Geoffrey Bindman KC, signed a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper calling the order ‘illegitimate’ and ‘unethical’.
The letter stated: ‘The government should stop deflecting attention from genocide by linking non-violent protest to terrorism.’
CAGE International described Defend Our Juries’ civil disobedience as ‘necessary to challenge genocidal policies’.
Fifty-two international academics and writers, including Naomi Klein, Angela Davis, and Judith Butler, have also condemned the ban.