Pressure mounts against Israeli plan for full takeover of war-torn enclave

Rejecting an Israeli plan to expand military operations throughout the entire Gaza Strip, a United Nations representative stressed that the enclave is part of the future state of Palestine, while former Israeli leaders and army and intelligence chiefs voiced objection to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s takeover proposal.

“International law is clear in this regard. Gaza is and must remain an integral part of the future Palestinian state,” Miroslav Jenca, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, told the UN Security Council in New York on Aug 5.

The Israeli plan for Gaza “would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza,” he was cited as saying by UN News.

Israel’s Channel 12, citing an official source, said the prime minister was leaning toward taking control of the entire territory. That would reverse a 2005 decision to withdraw Israeli citizens and soldiers from Gaza, while retaining control over its borders, airspace and utilities. Netanyahu’s cabinet was expected to convene a key meeting on Aug 7.

Jenca stressed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Gaza or the broader Israel-Palestine conflict.

He told the Security Council that “hunger is everywhere in Gaza, visible in the faces of children and in the desperation of parents risking their lives to access the most basic supplies”. He again echoed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ condemnation of the ongoing violence in Gaza, including the shooting, killing, and injuring of people trying to get food.

“The situation in Gaza is horrifying — it is unbearable,” Jenca said.

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the latest conflict began in October 2023, according to local health authorities. “Since the end of May, over 1,200 Palestinians have been killed and over 8,100 injured while trying to access food supplies,” said Jenca.

The UN favors a sustainable two-state solution. Jenca said this would mean “Israel and a fully independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian State, of which Gaza is an integral part.”

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Aug 5 that Gaza’s population is experiencing systematic genocide.

“The war in Gaza is no longer merely a war to achieve political goals or release hostages,” Sisi said. “It has long since surpassed any logic or justification, and has become a war of starvation and genocide. There is systematic genocide to eradicate the Palestinian cause.”

Algerian Ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama on Aug 5 told the Security Council that Israel is legally required to allow aid into Gaza as “famine thresholds have been crossed”.

“Let me be clear, humanitarian access is a legal obligation under the Geneva Conventions. It is not a favour. It is not negotiable. It cannot be used as a bargaining chip in exchange for those held in captivity,” Bendjama said.

Inside Israel, voices are increasing for an end to the nearly 22-month military assault in the Gaza Strip. Among those speaking out were former leaders of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service, Mossad spy agency and the military, as well as former prime minister Ehud Barak.

In a video posted to social media, they said that far-right members of the government are holding Israel “hostage” in prolonging the conflict.

A group of about 600 Israeli security officials, including former intelligence agencies’ heads, had earlier written to United States President Donald Trump, urging Israel to immediately end the fighting. “It is our professional judgment that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel,” the officials were quoted as saying.

US President Donald Trump, asked by a reporter on Aug 5, declined to say whether he supports or opposes the potential military takeover.

“I know that we are there now trying to get people fed,” Trump said. “As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say. That’s going to be pretty much up to Israel.”

Ayman Yousef, a professor of international relations at the Arab American University in Jenin, West Bank, said Netanyahu is “trying to put his agenda and his propaganda in this direction” as he is “in crisis”. The Israeli army failed to rescue all hostages despite destroying almost all of Gaza through military action, and the political track is also in deadlock at this stage, he said.

On Aug 5, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong told journalists that “there is a risk there will be no Palestine left to recognize”.

On Australia’s position regarding Palestinian statehood, Wong said: “In relation to recognition, I’ve said for over a year now, it’s a matter of when, not if.”

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn