UN warns of ‘massive death and destruction’ if Netanyahu proceeds with plan for expanded military operation
An Israeli operation to occupy Gaza City would be a “death sentence” for the remaining living Israeli hostages held in Gaza, relatives of the hostages have said, as the Red Cross and UN warned of a looming catastrophe for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living there.
Opposition to a new operation – repeatedly “approved” by Israeli figures in recent days – is growing inside Israel and internationally. Calling for an immediate ceasefire, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, warned of the “massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza would inevitably cause”.
Christian Cardon, the chief spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said: “The intensification of hostilities in Gaza means more killing, more displacement, more destruction and more panic. Gaza is a closed space, from which nobody can escape … and where access to health care, food and safe water is dwindling. Meanwhile, the security of humanitarians is getting worse by the hour. This is intolerable.”
On Thursday, the IDF said medical officials and aid groups in the northern part of the territory had been told “to prepare for the population’s movement to the southern Gaza Strip”.
