On August 9, UN spokesman Antonio Guterres criticized Israel's plan to control Gaza City.
A spokesperson for Antonio Guterres called it a "dangerous escalation" that could lead to forced relocation of Palestinians.
According to a plan approved by the Israeli security cabinet, the country's military will occupy Gaza City to expand a military campaign in the territory that has been heavily devastated by nearly two years of conflict. This move caused a strong wave of protests at home and abroad.
In an interview with the press, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intends to control the entire coastal territory.
The spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General stressed that the above decision "riskens to deepen the catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could threaten more lives, including the remaining hostages".
He said the plan would lead to wide-scale forced relocation, killing and destruction, increasing the unimaginable suffering of the Gaza people.
The United Nations also affirmed that forced relocation is illegal under international law.
The Gaza Ministry of Health said that Israel's military campaign has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians and caused a hunger crisis, forcing all of Gaza's population to flee their homes.
Israel also faces charges of crimes at the International Court of Justice and war crimes at the International Criminal Court, although the country has denied the allegations.
The Israeli offensive began after the October 2023 attack, when Hamas gunmen killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.
The incident sparked a new wave of violence in the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict.
