Great Britain “does not support“ the expansion of Israeli military operations in Gaza, the British Foreign Office said, BNR reported.
“Downing Street“ reported that after a telephone conversation, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “deep concern“ about the Israeli plan. A Foreign Office spokesman said that “Palestinian territory should not be reduced“.
“We call on all parties to urgently return to negotiations, to fully implement the ceasefire agreement and to work towards a lasting peace“, the ministry said in a statement.
Late last night it was reported that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had spoken to President Emmanuel Macron about the situation in Gaza in light of Israel's plans. The two reached full agreement that the peace process needed to be renewed.
Turning to the other major war that is capturing the attention of both sides, Starmer and Macron agreed on the need for Russia to commit to a 30-day ceasefire. A “Downing Street“s spokesman added that Starmer said Ukraine had "proved that it is ready to sit at the negotiating table and is the country that wants peace."
On tackling record levels of illegal immigration by crossing the Channel, Downing Street said the two leaders agreed that their countries needed to step up cooperation in all areas to tackle the problem.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the expanded offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas will be "intense" after his cabinet approved plans that could include seizing the entire Gaza Strip and controlling humanitarian aid, Reuters reported, quoted by BNR.
However, an Israeli defense official said the operation would not begin before U.S. President Donald Trump ends his visit to the Middle East next week.
The decision, made after weeks of failed efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement with "Hamas", underscores the threat that the war, which has led to international pressure on Israel amid declining public support at home, could drag on indefinitely.
According to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, citing officials familiar with the details, the new plan is gradual and will take months, with forces first focusing on one area of devastation enclave.
In a video message, Netanyahu said the operation would be "intense" and will see more Palestinians move into Gaza "for their own safety." He said Israeli forces would not follow previous tactics based on short attacks by forces based outside Gaza. "The intention is quite the opposite," he said, echoing comments by other Israeli officials who said Israel would hold on to the territory it has captured. Israeli forces have already seized about a third of Gaza, displacing the population and building observation towers and outposts on cleared land the military has designated as security zones, but the new plan will go further. An Israeli official said the newly approved offensive would capture the entire Gaza Strip, move its civilian population south and prevent humanitarian aid from falling into the hands of "Hamas".
The defense official said that the distribution of aid, which is being carried out by international humanitarian groups and UN agencies, will be transferred to private companies, with the aid being distributed in the southern part of Rafah once the offensive begins.
The Israeli military, which has shown little appetite for occupying Gaza throughout the war, declined to comment on the remarks by government officials and politicians.
Israel resumed its offensive in March after the failure of a US-backed ceasefire that halted fighting for two months. Israel has since imposed an aid blockade, prompting warnings from the United Nations that Gaza's 2.3 million people face imminent famine.
A defense official said Israel would stick to the security zones it has seized along the Gaza perimeter because they are vital to protecting Israeli communities around the enclave. But he said there was a "window of opportunity" for a ceasefire and a hostage-free deal during Trump's visit.
"If there is no hostage agreement, Operation Gideon's Chariots" will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its objectives are achieved," he said.
The Israeli armed forces said late last night that they had struck a site in Lebanon belonging to the Iranian-backed Shiite movement "Hezbollah", DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
"The Israel Defense Forces recently struck a terrorist infrastructure site" for the production of weapons by "Hezbollah", the Israeli forces said in a statement on the "Telegram" messaging app.
"The Israel Defense Forces intercepted attempts by "Hezbollah" to resume its presence and activities at the site," the statement said.
"The Israel Defense Forces will continue to eliminate any threat to the State of Israel and will prevent any attempt by "Hezbollah" to resume its terrorist capacity," the Israeli forces said.