Palestine UN envoy: Netanyahu's Gaza takeover plan defies common sense
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Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour condemned "Israel's" plan to seize control of Gaza, calling it a violation of international law and warning that the operation's forced displacement and siege will deepen Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe.
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Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, speaks during a two-day conference on the Gaza genocide, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour has condemned "Israel’s" newly announced plan to seize control of the entire Gaza Strip, calling it a blatant violation of international law and a rejection of global consensus.
"This escalation by the Israeli government is going in total contradiction with the will of the international community, international law, and common sense, and, I even dare to say, against the wish of the majority of the people inside Israel," Mansour told reporters at UN headquarters on Friday.
His remarks came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured cabinet approval for a military campaign to take Gaza City, the first stage of a broader offensive aimed at occupying the whole territory.
The plan includes the forced evacuation of about one million Palestinians from Gaza City and surrounding areas by October 7, a siege on remaining fighters, and a ground assault. Netanyahu said the operation would dismantle Hamas, secure the return of captives, and ultimately transfer control to a new "civilian administration" excluding both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. He further claimed that Gaza be placed under Israeli “security control” to prevent future attacks, while promising that the occupation would be temporary and that humanitarian aid would be allowed outside combat zones. But given "Israel’s" long history of indefinite military presence in occupied territories and its continued blockade of Gaza, critics argue that these assurances ring hollow.
"Our objective is to stop Israel from taking this extremely dangerous escalation," Mansour said. "We need all of us collectively to prevail, to stop this insanity and to allow peace to be the option of war and the continuation of the suffering."
Global Condemnation
Mansour's criticism echoes a wave of international pushback. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged "Israel" to reverse the Gaza City takeover plan, calling it "wrong" and counterproductive, while UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has demanded its suspension, saying it undermines the Palestinian right to self-determination.
Turkey has gone further, with senior presidential adviser Burhanettin Duran labeling the offensive "outright genocide" and urging world leaders to act.
Read more: 'Israel' threatens to end UK security ties if Palestine recognized
Hamas has also rejected Netanyahu’s move, arguing it signals the abandonment of negotiations and an attempt to cement permanent Israeli military control.
Aid agencies warn the mass displacement and siege will worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where shortages of food, water, and medical supplies have already pushed the enclave toward famine and systemic collapse.
