GENEVA: UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk on Friday categorically stated that “the Israeli Government’s plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted.”
“It runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realization of the agreed two-State solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination,” he said in a statement.
The Turkish foreign ministry also strongly condemned Israel’s decision to take control of Gaza City, saying every step taken by the “fundamentalist Netanyahu government” to continue its genocide and expand its occupation dealt a heavy blow to global peace and security.
Australia earlier urged Israel “not to go down this path,” after Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel intended 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,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement on Friday.
Wong said permanent forced displacement was a violation of international law and repeated calls for a ceasefire, aid to flow unimpeded and for militant group Hamas to return the hostages taken in October 2023.
“A two-state solution is the only pathway to secure an enduring peace – a Palestinian state and the State of Israel, living side-by-side in peace and security within internationally-recognized borders,” she added.
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