Netanyahu defends Gaza City takeover as UN warns of ‘calamity’ and international condemnation grows

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his planned military takeover of Gaza City in the face of growing international condemnation and anger, with United Nations officials warning Sunday the move would lead to “another calamity” in the embattled, starving enclave.

In a rare news conference with international media, Netanyahu said the controversial operation to take over what was once Gaza’s largest city, which faces tremendous internal and international opposition, is the fastest way to end the war.

“Contrary to false claims, this is the best way to end the war and the best way to end it speedily,” he said. “This is how we bring the war to an end.”

Israel faced condemnation at the UN on Sunday, with the United Kingdom, Russia, China and France among others expressing their strong opposition to Netanyahu’s military plan for Gaza that would constitute “further violations of international law.”

“If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings, and destruction – compounding the unbearable suffering of the population,” said Miroslav Jenča, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas.

Ramesh Rajasingham, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva said what is unfolding in Gaza “is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple.”