Israel's Gaza takeover plan widely condemned

China has joined the voices of United Nations leaders and most UN Security Council nations, urging the international community to take all necessary actions before a greater disaster unfolds in Palestine, given the urgency at hand.

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, said: "Any attempt to occupy Gaza must be firmly opposed."

Fu made the remarks on Sunday at a rare weekend emergency meeting in New York on the Palestine-Israel issue. The meeting was initiated by the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Greece and Slovenia.

"The recent approval by Israel's security cabinet of a plan to take over Gaza is a matter of grave concern. We urge Israel to stop this dangerous move at once. Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people," he added.

Fu said that the illusion of military supremacy must be abandoned and the humanitarian disaster in Gaza must be alleviated.

"The lives of 2 million Gazans must not be the sacrifice of the war," he said. "The weaponization of humanitarian supplies is unacceptable. The collective punishment of the Gazan people is unacceptable. Attacking civilians and humanitarian workers as they search for supplies is equally unacceptable."

The Chinese envoy urged Israel to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law as an occupying power, open all border crossings, lift restrictions on aid access, ensure the large-scale, swift and safe entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, and support the UN in its aid delivery in accordance with humanitarian principles.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that he was "gravely alarmed" by the decision of the Israeli government to "take control of Gaza City".

Miroslav Jenca, UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, warned on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for Gaza "is yet another dangerous escalation of the conflict". "If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza," he said.

At the UN Security Council meeting, delegates from all participating countries except the United States rejected Israel's plan for a Gaza takeover, urging Israel to reverse its decision. The Israeli representative blamed Hamas.

Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine to the UN, said Israel "is prolonging the war not to disarm Hamas, but to prevent independent Palestinian statehood".

The Pakistani delegation said that those shielding Israel from accountability "are complicit and must share responsibility", and that the Security Council must be ready to impose a cost on Israel.

Ramesh Rajasingham, head of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva, said in briefing to the Security Council that a "grim milestone" has been crossed in the humanitarian community.

Rajasingham also said that more than 500 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since hostilities escalated, including at least 167 women, and he called for the protection of all aid workers and civilians.

After the meeting, Israeli forces targeted and killed five Al Jazeera staff members, including renowned journalist Anas al-Sharif, in a media tent outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. A sixth journalist, who is a local freelance reporter, was also killed in the airstrike, Reuters reported on Monday. Israeli forces again alleged that al-Sharif was connected with Hamas, which Al Jazeera has denied.

Abdalfatah Asqool, a former international law lecturer at the University of Palestine in the Gaza Strip, said that the Israeli decision to expand the military operations in the Gaza Strip "came as a result of the silence of the international community toward the blatant international crimes and atrocities".

Belal Alakhras, a political analyst and researcher at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, said, "The alarming reality is that Israeli contempt appears normal, as it can act however it wants without facing any real consequences or accountability."

Meanwhile, Australia said on Monday that it will officially recognize the State of Palestine, joining the leaders of France, Britain and Canada in signaling that they would do so.

"Australia is further compelled by the Netanyahu government's disregard of the international community's calls, and its failure to comply with its legal and ethical obligations in Gaza," said a joint statement by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Xin Xin in Sydney contributed to this story.

jan@chinadailyapac.com