The Israeli Diplomatic-Security Cabinet approved Friday morning a plan for the IDF takeover of Gaza, in a decision that opens the door to further escalation in the war in the Strip. In response, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a strong statement opposing the decision, joining the Australian Foreign Ministry's earlier condemnation.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet approved a phased plan requiring up to five months, during which approximately one million Palestinians would be forced to relocate to southern Gaza, where the military will establish compounds for housing the evacuees. As part of the plan, Israel and the United States will increase the number of aid distribution sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) from four current sites to 16 sites.
In response to the decision, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharply condemned the Israeli move. According to him, "The Israeli Government's decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. We need a ceasefire now," he said in a statement. "It will only bring more bloodshed."
The Israeli Government's decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately.
Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions.
We need a ceasefire… pic.twitter.com/UoJhjss81e
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) August 8, 2025
Starmer's response comes against the backdrop of mounting pressure he has been applying to Israel in recent months. In late July, Starmer announced that Britain would recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes "significant steps to end the dire situation in Gaza," agrees to a ceasefire, and commits to a long-term peace process.
British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters said this week that occupying Gaza is a "huge mistake," and recognition of Palestine is the "complete isolation of Hamas politically in the Middle East." According to the ambassador, as long as Israel recognized in principle the two-state solution, it enjoyed the world's protection, but once the annexation policy became official, Europe must express opposition.
"The IDF has achieved all that it can achieve in Gaza, and extending the war any further will simply lead to more deaths. Deaths of soldiers, deaths of Palestinians, deaths of hostages," he explained. "If you want to defeat Hamas, you cannot achieve that through military force. You need to use politics and diplomacy and you need to give the people of Gaza an alternative to Hamas," he added.
Australia also expressed sharp opposition to the Israeli decision. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called on Israel "not to go down this path" after Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel intends to take military control of Gaza. "Australia calls on Israel to not go down this path, which will only worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza," Wong said. She emphasized that "permanent forced displacement is a violation of international law."
Naturally, given the tension, Turkey's Foreign Ministry sharply condemned Israel's decision to take control of Gaza. "Every step taken by the fundamentalist Netanyahu government to continue the genocide against the Palestinians and to expand the occupation deals a heavy blow to international peace and security, increases regional instability, and deepens the humanitarian crisis."
Finland also responded to the cabinet decision. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Maria Valtonen stated that "we hope for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and for the immediate release of the Israeli hostages."
