Several United Nations (UN) Security Council members have fiercely criticized the plan, accusing it of infringing international humanitarian law. But hours after the decision was announced, Israel faced calls to retract it from countries including the UK, France, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia, who said it increased the risk of harm coming to hostages and inflamed tensions. China decried what it called "collective punishment" of civilians in Gaza, and Russia warned against a "rash act that would spark vigilante, bloody retribution.
Warnings of Humanitarian Consequences
Un officials cautioned that the suggestion would likely bring about every other humanitarian disaster. The plan would have profound negative effects on the displaced civilians, loss of life, and property destruction, said Miroslav Jenca, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. The head of U.N. humanitarian operations, Ramesh Rajasingham, said the food crisis in Gaza "has become a matter of starvation, simply put."
Ambassador Dorothy Shea of the United States called Moderna's Fund "demonstrably false", warned her state that Hamas could end wars immediately by releasing all hostages (Israel: Israel and Jihad [10]). Netanyahu's office later confirmed that the prime minister had discussed the plans with US President Donald Trump.
Across the border in Israel, thousands of protesters demonstrated against their government's response — a move that they say endangers the potential safety of hostages. Netanyahu noted that the objective of the mission was mandated to the IDF to "rout" and "annihilate" the remaining "two Hamas bastions" in Gaza City and a neighbouring central region adjacent to al-Mawasi.
Aid and Casualty Figures
Netanyahu also laid out a three-phase process to augment humanitarian aid within Gaza, which is the opening of secure relief corridors, an increase in aerial food drops and additional checkpoints managed by the Gazan Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organization set up by both US and Israeli forces. 1,373 Palestinians have been killed since late May in search of food, the UN has reported, when GHF initiated operations. Netanyahu accused Hamas of stealing assistance and said that most deaths happened near distribution centres, where the victims were shot dead by Hamas gunmen.
Since Israel launched its military campaign in 2023 following a Hamas-led October 7 attack on southern Israel, which left about 1,200 dead and another 251 abducted according to the Hamas-run health ministry, Hundreds of additional hostages are thought to be held in Gaza, where it is believed 20 Israelis may still be alive. The number of deaths from malnutrition reached 927, and five more died over the weekend due to starvation, the ministry said.
