Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza amounts to dangerous escalation: PM Shehbaz

Condemning the Israeli cabinet’s approval of a plan to take illegitimate control of Gaza City, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said it was tantamount to a dangerous escalation in an already catastrophic war against the people of Palestine.

“This expansion of military operations will only worsen the already existing humanitarian crisis and derail any prospect for peace in the region.

“We must not lose sight of the root cause of this ongoing tragedy: that is Israel’s prolonged, illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. As long as this occupation endures, peace will remain elusive,” he said in a message on social media account X.

Israel’s political-security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City early on Friday, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intended to take military control of the entire strip despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating almost two-year-old war.

Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City

“The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, referring to the Israeli Defence Forces.

Gaza City, in the north of the strip, is the largest city in the enclave.

Hours after the Israeli cabinet’s approving the decision, various countries including Belgium and Denmark demanded from the occupational state to reverse its decision.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said Pakistan reiterates its unwavering support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in line with relevant United Nations and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) resolutions.

He sought global powers’ intervention to stop Israeli aggression and protect innocent people.

“We call upon the international community to intervene urgently to bring an immediate halt to Israel’s unwarranted aggression, ensure the protection of innocent civilians, and ensure the direly needed delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” he said.