The Latest: Israel plans to take control of Gaza City, drawing international condemnation
The Latest: Israel plans to take control of Gaza City, drawing international condemnation
Israel said early Friday that it plans to take over Gaza City, drawing rejection from the Palestinians and international condemnation. The decision, agreed in a late-night meeting of its security Cabinet, marks a further escalation of Israel’s 22-month war with Hamas. It also provoked worries in Israel over the fate of hostages still held by Hamas.
Another major ground operation would almost certainly exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe, in which Israel’s air and ground war has pushed the territory toward famine. Hamas said people in Gaza would “remain defiant against occupation.”
Here’s the latest:
Emergency UN meeting on Israel’s plan to expand Gaza operations changed to Sunday
The U.N. Mission of Panama, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, said the meeting has been rescheduled to 10 a.m. EDT on Sunday. It was originally scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday.
Panama’s Mission said the change was made following “further consultations and careful consideration.” It provided no details, but Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath and Israel is certain to want to speak at the meeting.
UN and Gaza Humanitarian Foundation officials met this week
The dialogue “on the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza” took place at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. It was attended by the chairman of the Israeli-backed American foundation known as GHF and some U.N. “entities” and partner organizations, U.N. associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said.
Israel facilitated the establishment of four GHF sites in Gaza in May after blocking the entry of all food, medicine and other goods for 2 1/2 months. The U.N., which has delivered aid to hundreds of distribution points across Gaza throughout the war when conditions allowed, says GHF sites require Palestinians to travel long distances and risk their lives for food, and give Israel control over who gets aid.
The U.N. human rights office says some 1,400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid since May, mostly near GHF sites but also along U.N. convoy routes where trucks have been overwhelmed by crowds. It says nearly all were killed by Israeli fire.
Six Palestinians killed and dozens wounded near aid crossing
At least six Palestinians were shot dead and more than 140 were wounded at the Israeli-run Zikim Crossing in northern Gaza, where U.N. aid convoys enter.
Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, the director of Shifa Hospital, which received the dead and wounded, said all six were killed by Israeli gunfire.
A Palestinian witness, who asked not to be named for security concerns, said a small number of looters with knives were among desperate crowds that unloaded a convoy, but that it was less chaotic than on previous days and that more trucks entered.
He said Israeli troops still fired toward the crowds.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed while seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza since May, when Israel eased a 2 ½ month blockade. Witnesses, health officials and the U.N. human rights office say they were killed by Israeli fire. The military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces.
Canada’s Carney says Gaza takeover plan puts hostages at risk
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says Israel’s plan to take over Gaza is wrong and puts the lives of the hostages at a greater risk.
“We join many others in viewing that this is wrong, that this action is not going to contribute in the improvement of the humanitarian situation on the ground. It is going to put the lives of the hostages at greater risk rather than lessoning it,” Carney said. “We reiterate our call for an immediately ceasefire,” he said when asked about it Friday.
France condemns Israel’s plans to take control of Gaza
France condemned the plans “in the strongest possible terms.” In a statement from the foreign affairs ministry, France said it “reiterates its firm opposition to any plan for the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the forced displacement of its population.”
The ministry said “such actions would constitute further serious violations of international law and would lead to an absolute dead end.” France, which keeps pushing for a two-state solution, insisted that Israel’s plans would undermine the “legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians to live in peace in a viable, sovereign, and contiguous State, and pose a threat to regional stability.”
UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Israel’s plans to take over Gaza
Panama, which holds the council presidency this month, said the meeting will take place at 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had called for an immediate emergency meeting of the U.N.’s most powerful body to stop Israel from escalating the fighting in Gaza.
Panama’s U.N. Mission said the request to the 15-member council for an emergency meeting was made by the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Greece and Slovenia. It was supported by Algeria, Russia, China, Somalia, Guyana, Pakistan, South Korea and Sierra Leone.
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, did not support the request.
Iran condemns Israel’s plan to take over Gaza
Iran has condemned Israel’s plan to take over Gaza and claimed it is an indication of Israel’s intention to carry out “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei in a statement called Western nations and the U.S. “accomplices” of Israel and urged the international community to force Israel to stop the move. He also urged Islamic nations to meet immediately to discuss a “joint act” to help the Palestinians.
UN chief calls Israel’s decision to control Gaza City `a dangerous escalation’
Secretary-General António Guterres says the government’s decision “risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians, and could further endanger more lives, including of the remaining hostages,” his spokesperson said.
Guterres also warns that an Israeli offensive will result in additional forced displacement, killings and massive destruction, “compounding the unimaginable suffering of the Palestinian population in Gaza,” associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said.
The secretary-general reiterated his urgent appeal for a ceasefire, she said. He strongly urged Israel to abide by the July 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice to end its “unlawful presence” in Palestinian territory including Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, Tremblay told U.N. reporters on Friday
EU report finds little aid is getting into Gaza
The European Union has concluded that little aid is flowing into Gaza despite an understanding reached between Brussels and Israel last month, according to a report by the 27-nation bloc’s foreign service.
Although roughly 5,000 trucks entered Gaza during the “limited lifting of the blockade by Israel,” there are still “significant operational and bureaucratic constraints” on aid delivery, according to a copy of the report obtained by The Associated Press.
Since May 19, an average of 36 trucks a day has entered Gaza, laden with food, nutrition supplements, medical supplies and chlorine, but 90% was looted once in Gaza, the report says.
The EU had reached an agreement with Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza, but officials have not been able to confirm any improvements for themselves.
Israel has blocked an EU monitoring team from entering Gaza because they were not humanitarian aid providers, said Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a European Commission spokesperson, at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday.
Czech Republic warns against Israel’s Gaza City plan
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said his country considers a plan by Israel to take over Gaza City “a risky step.”
Lipavský said the Czechs believe that Israel will take all necessary steps to protect the civilian population and will act in line with international law while the release of all hostages and a lasting ceasefire remain priorities.
He said the only way of reaching a long-term peace is a two-state solution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“The condition for that to happen is that Gaza will not be ruled by the terrorists from Hamas, which is a position shared by Czechia, Israel and a number of Arab countries in the region,” Lipavský said in comments to the state-owned CTK news agency.
the Czech Republic has been one of Israel’s biggest allies in the EU.
Saudi Arabia denounces Israeli plan to expand Gaza operations
The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned what it referred to as Israel’s “starvation, brutal practices and ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinians.
It said Palestinians have an “emotional, historical and legal connection to their land” and lamented the failure of the international community to halt the fighting.
Saudi Arabia, a major Arab power, appeared to be close to forging diplomatic ties with Israel as part of a larger agreement with the United States before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war.
The kingdom has repeatedly criticized Israel’s wartime conduct and says it will only normalize ties in an agreement that includes major progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel’s current government and most of its political class rejects.
Pakistan prime minister condemns Israel’s plan as ‘dangerous escalation’
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the Israeli Cabinet’s plan to take control of Gaza City, calling it a “dangerous escalation” that will worsen the humanitarian crisis and derail peace prospects.
In a statement on X, he attributed the ongoing conflict to Israel’s “prolonged, illegal occupation of Palestinian territory,” stating that peace is impossible as long as the occupation continues. Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s support for a sovereign Palestinian state and urged the international community to take action against Israel’s latest plan.
German military hardware has been used in Gaza, expert says
Germany’s move to suspend defense exports to Israel will be a limited measure, according to Zain Hussain, an arms transfers researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
German companies provide 30% of Israel’s defense imports, mostly naval armaments, according to Hussain’s analysis. “Germany has been committed to providing Israel with arms, especially with ships,” he said, citing Germany’s deep support for Israel and enmeshed defense ties.
Currently Germany provides some hardware to Israel, such as small warships and tank engines. Those engines can be fitted to Israel’s Merkava tanks and Namer armored personnel carriers, which are actively deployed in Gaza.
German-made Sa’ar corvettes, small warships festooned with sophisticated radar equipment and cannons, have shelled targets in Gaza during the war, Hussain said. Since 2018 Germany has rapidly increased its share of the Israeli arms market, mostly with naval hardware like corvettes and torpedoes.
Hussain said it was “a big deal” for Germany, one of Israel’s staunchest allies, to admit it was uncomfortable with Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“However, I don’t think this alone will stop Israel’s operations in Gaza, and Israel still has the U.S.A. as a committed arms supplier,” he cautioned.
Egypt and Qatar draw up framework to end the war and release hostages
Mediators from Egypt and Qatar are working on a new framework which will include the release of all hostages — dead and alive — in one go in return for an end of the war in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip, according to two Arab officials who spoke to The Associated Press anonymously due to the sensitivity of the discussions. One is involved directly in the deliberations and the second was briefed on the efforts.
The efforts have the backing of major Arab Gulf monarchies, the officials said, as they are concerned about further regional destabilization if Israel’s government proceeds with a full reoccupation of Gaza, two decades after Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the strip.
The yet-to-be finalized framework aims to address the contentious issue of what to do with Hamas’ weapons, with Israel seeking full disarmament and Hamas refusing. The official directly involved in the efforts said discussions are underway about “freezing arms,” which may involve Hamas retaining but not using its weapons. It also calls for the group to relinquish power in the strip.
A Palestinian-Arab committee would run Gaza and oversee the reconstruction efforts until the establishment of a Palestinian administration with a new police force, trained by two U.S. allies in the Middle East, to take over the strip, he said. It is unclear what role the Western-backed Palestinian Authority would play.
The second official said that a powerful Gulf country is supporting the Egyptian-Qatari efforts.
A senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief the media, said the group’s leadership has been aware of the Arab mediators’ efforts to revive the ceasefire talks, but has yet to receive details.
AP reached out to the governments in Qatar, Egypt and Israel for comment. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told hostage families during his recent visit that Israel was shifting its approach to pursue a comprehensive “all-or-nothing” deal aimed at ending the war and securing the release of hostages, a person who attended the meeting told the AP, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to speak about the private meeting.
— By Samy Magdy in Cairo and Sam Metz in Jerusalem
Germany suspends military exports that could be used in Gaza
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says his country will not authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in Gaza “until further notice.”
Germany has been a stalwart supporter of Israel for decades.
In a statement, Merz emphasized that Israel “has the right to defend itself against Hamas’ terror” and said that the release of Israeli hostages and “purposeful” negotiations toward a ceasefire in the 22-month conflict “are our top priority.” He said Hamas must not have a role in the future of Gaza.
“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 added.
UK, Spain, Turkey and Australia criticize Israel’s Gaza City plan
Israel’s plan to escalate military operations in Gaza drew international condemnation Friday.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged Israel to reconsider, saying the expanded offensive would do nothing to end the conflict or secure the release of the remaining hostages.
“Our message is clear: a diplomatic solution is possible, but both parties must step away from the path of destruction,” Starmer said.
Spain’s Foreign Minister José Albares said Israel’s plan would “only lead to more destruction and suffering.”
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the escalation marked a new phase of Israel’s “expansionist” policies in the region.
“Israel must immediately halt its war plans, accept a ceasefire in Gaza, and begin negotiations toward a two-state solution,” it said in a statement on Friday.
Australia also condemned a further occupation of Gaza. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said 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 recognized borders.
By The Associated Press
