Israel’s decision to launch a large-scale military campaign to seize Gaza City has provoked a united rebuke from the foreign ministers of Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In a joint statement, they warned that the operation risks grave breaches of international humanitarian law and demanded the removal of new restrictions on aid agencies, insisting on unrestricted humanitarian access to the besieged enclave.

The plan, approved by Israel’s security cabinet on 8 August, authorises the evacuation of large sections of the city, the imposition of military administration, and the dismantling of organised armed resistance. Officials claim the campaign aims to disarm local factions, secure the release of captives, and establish a new civilian authority under Israeli oversight. Critics, however, fear it will accelerate displacement, deepen the humanitarian emergency, and cement long-term control over Palestinian territory.

Reports from Israeli media indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have been tasked with executing the operation despite internal unease over its potential fallout. With civilian infrastructure already shattered, food and medical supplies critically low, and hundreds of thousands displaced, observers warn that this new offensive could push Gaza into an irreversible humanitarian collapse.