File photo: Palestinian Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh. Photo courtesy of WAFA.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh described Israel’s actions -- "including the reoccupation of Gaza, attempts to annex the occupied West Bank, and the Judaization of Jerusalem" -- as an unprecedented provocation that undermines international efforts to achieve peace and stability.
"Israel’s policies ... will close all doors to achieving security and stability both regionally and globally," he said, stressing that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the State of Palestine, along with Jerusalem and the West Bank.
"Without it, there will be no Palestinian state," he added, urging the "international community, led by the UN Security Council, to urgently compel the occupying state to cease its aggression, allow the entry of aid, and work diligently to enable the State of Palestine to assume its full responsibilities in the Gaza Strip".
The PA -- conceived as a first step towards a Palestinian state -- exercises limited administration over parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The territory is home to about three million Palestinians and around half a million Israeli colonial settlers living in settlements deemed illegal under international law.
The PA, however, does not have a presence in Gaza, which has been governed by Hamas for nearly two decades.
Early Friday, Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to take control of Gaza City, sparking a wave of international outrage.
Despite the backlash and rumours of dissent from Israeli army top brass, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remained defiant over the decision.
In a post on social media late Friday, Netanyahu said, "We are not going to occupy Gaza." He claimed he aims to free Gaza from the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Hamas slammed the Israeli plan to occupy Gaza City, calling it a "new war crime".
Netanyahu faces increasing domestic pressure to secure a ceasefire in Gaza to facilitate the release of Israelis held in Gaza, while internationally, criticism grows as more than two million Palestinians endure famine under Israel's five-month blockade of the Strip.
A statement issued on Saturday by the foreign ministers of Italy, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom took aim at the decision to occupy Gaza City.
"This will exacerbate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of hostages, and increase the risk of a mass exodus of civilians," they said.
The European Union has warned that Israel’s plan to seize Gaza City will impact bilateral relations.
"Such a decision must have consequences" for EU–Israel ties, European Council chief Antonio Costa said on Friday, criticising the plan to take over the city and expel Palestinians without warning.
Israel’s 22-month genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 61,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded over 152,000. An Israeli blockade imposed since 2 March has further worsened conditions in the Strip, prompting warnings of widespread famine.
Independent estimates suggest the actual death toll may be significantly higher.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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