The Palestinian Authority called on Friday the American administration to prevent Israel from occupying the Gaza Strip, which would displace nearly a million Palestinians from Gaza City.
Israel said Friday it will intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking over Gaza City, stirring fears for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and renewing international pressure for an end to the conflict.
Israel’s air and ground war has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. The timing of another major ground operation is unclear. It will likely require mobilizing thousands of troops and forcibly evacuating civilians, almost certainly worsening Gaza's humanitarian crisis.
The UN Security Council announced an emergency meeting on Israel's plans was rescheduled to Sunday after originally being scheduled on Saturday.
Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said: “We call on the international community, specifically the American administration, to assume its responsibility and stop the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.”
The move, he told Reuters, “will not bring security, peace or stability to anyone.”
“We strongly condemn the Israeli government decision to occupy Gaza, which means the continued displacement of the people and more massacres and destruction,” he added.
Hamas rejected Israel’s plans. “Expanding of aggression against our Palestinian people will not be a walk in the park,” the group said in a statement.
