Qatar condemns ‘dangerous escalation’ by Israel with new Gaza plan

Israel’s decision to expand its military offensive to seize control of Gaza City has sparked widespread international alarm, with Qatar saying the plans undermine efforts to secure a ceasefire.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement late on Friday that Israel’s decision to “fully occupy the Gaza Strip” was a “dangerous escalation that threatens to exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the territory, multiply its catastrophic consequences, and undermine efforts aimed at achieving a permanent ceasefire.”

According to the plan, proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and approved overnight by Israel’s Security Cabinet, Israel is to launch a new military offensive to seize full control of Gaza City, the largest metropolis in the war-shattered Palestinian territory.

The plan envisages the disarmament of the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas, the return of hostages to Israel, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and “Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip” in exchange for an end to the war.

It also requires that the territory be ruled by an “alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.”

The statement released by Netanyahu’s office did not specify whether Israel would be seeking to take over the entire Gaza Strip, which the premier had previously said was part of his plan.

Qatar, together with the US and Egypt, has been acting as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, as the two warring parties do not communicate directly.

Doha called on the international community to prevent Israel from implementing its plans to expand its military deployment and “to ensure Israel allows the safe, sustained, and unobstructed entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.”

The plan marks a major escalation in the nearly two-year war, with Israel allies and rivals warning of catastrophic humanitarian consequences.