Israel Approves Gaza City Occupation, Ignites Arab and European Backlash

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Israel’s decision to launch a military takeover of Gaza City has ignited a storm of international condemnation, drawing sharp rebukes from key Arab leaders, European allies, and the United Nations, while simultaneously exposing a deep and perilous rift between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and his own military leadership.

The plan, approved by Israel's security cabinet, has been decried as a "new crime" by Palestinian leadership and "wrong" by the United Kingdom, with Germany taking the unprecedented step of suspending arms exports for use in Gaza and hostage families in Israel warning the move will endanger the lives of their loved ones.

According to a report from the Times of Israel, the security cabinet approved Prime Minister Netanyahu's proposal to take over the densely populated city overnight Thursday-Friday, bucking warnings from the Israel Defense Forces about the risks to the 20 hostages believed to still be alive. The approved plan, which gives residents until Oct. 7, 2025, to evacuate, focuses specifically on Gaza City, though an unnamed senior Israeli official indicated to the publication that the IDF would later move on to other areas.

The statement from Netanyahu's office detailed a five-point plan for “defeating Hamas” and “concluding the war,” which includes disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, taking security control of the territory, and establishing "an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority." Hamas, in response, accused Israel of pursuing "ethnic cleansing" and ignoring the fate of hostages, as reported by the BBC.

The reaction from the Arab world was swift and unified. Sky News Arabia reported that Jordanian Monarch King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, in a call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the Israeli decision and emphasized their firm rejection of the step. King Abdullah warned the move undermines the prospects of a two-state solution and threatens international efforts for a ceasefire.

Egyptian President Sisi stressed the importance of empowering the Palestinian state to assume its full responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, including security, and affirmed he would continue regional and international action to rally opposition to Israel's plans. For his part, President Abbas warned of the danger of Israel's plans, describing the decision as "a new crime to be added to the series of Israeli crimes."

In a strongly worded statement reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemned the decision and categorically rejected what it called Israel’s "ongoing crimes of starvation, brutal practices, and ethnic cleansing", warning that the failure of the international community to act "undermines the foundations of the international order."

European allies also voiced severe criticism, with the tone shifting significantly in key capitals. In a major policy change reported by DW, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Berlin would not approve German weapons exports to Israel for use in the Gaza Strip "until further notice." Citing the planned expansion of the offensive, Merz said it "makes it increasingly difficult to see how these goals can be achieved," referring to the release of hostages and a ceasefire.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the plan as "wrong," stating it "will only bring more bloodshed," according to the BBC. He urged the Israeli government to reconsider, while other UK political leaders were even more forceful, with Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey calling the plans "utterly abhorrent" and suggesting Netanyahu's goal is "ethnic cleansing."

The European Union as a whole has struggled to find a unified position, but as reported by AFP, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on Israel to "reconsider" its plan and stated that "a ceasefire is needed now." The tone in Brussels appears to be shifting, with European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera telling Politico that Israel's approach, where a population is "targeted, killed and condemned to starve to death," "looks very much" like the definition of genocide. Belgium also announced it was summoning the Israeli ambassador to express "total disapproval."

The Netherlands, however, adopted a more cautious public stance. According to Dutch News and Reuters, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp called the plan a "wrong move" but ruled out recognizing a Palestinian state for now. However, he also said the war "is now leading to the erosion of Israel's own security and identity," and his ministry confirmed to the show Nieuwsuur that it had withdrawn three licences for the export of naval ship components to Israel last month.

The UK's position, which includes a threat to recognize a Palestinian state in September, has put it at odds with the United States. As reported by the BBC, US Vice President JD Vance, while in the UK, told reporters, "We have no plans to recognise a Palestinian state," adding, "I don't know what it would mean to really recognise a Palestinian state, given the lack of functional government there."

The international backlash is mirrored by profound internal dissent within Israel. The Times of Israel reported that the security cabinet's decision was made in defiance of firm opposition from IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. During the 10-hour meeting, Zamir reportedly warned, “The lives of the hostages will be in danger if we go ahead with this plan to occupy Gaza. There is no way to guarantee that we will not harm them.”

He also noted that forces were "worn out" and that a full occupation could take one to two years to complete. The Kan public broadcaster reported that Zamir was so incensed by the risk to captives that he told cabinet members they might as well formally remove the goal of returning hostages from Israel's war aims. Hostage families have reacted with fury, staging fiery protests and arguing that the plan will lead to their loved ones' demise.

The political and military turmoil unfolds against a backdrop of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The United Nations has warned that a complete military takeover would risk "catastrophic consequences," according to the BBC. An EU report seen by Politico stated that the humanitarian situation “continues to remain very severe” and that “significant obstructive factors continue to undermine humanitarian operations and aid delivery.”

The report, covering late July to early August, found that while there has been a resumption of fuel deliveries, the volume of aid is still below what was agreed with Israel. It also noted that "at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food" since May 27 and that Israeli airstrikes continue to affect UN and NGO facilities.

The ongoing war began with the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. According to the Times of Israel, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 60,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting, while Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants as of January. The Israeli toll in the ground offensive and border operations stands at 459.