{"id":159888,"date":"2025-08-08T07:47:57","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T07:47:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/gaza-latest-israel-wrong-to-escalate-gaza-offensive-starmer-says-as-idf-prepares-to-take-gaza-city-sky-news\/"},"modified":"2025-08-08T07:47:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T07:47:57","slug":"gaza-latest-israel-wrong-to-escalate-gaza-offensive-starmer-says-as-idf-prepares-to-take-gaza-city-sky-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/gaza-latest-israel-wrong-to-escalate-gaza-offensive-starmer-says-as-idf-prepares-to-take-gaza-city-sky-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza latest: Israel 'wrong' to escalate Gaza offensive, Starmer says, as IDF prepares to take Gaza City – Sky News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel’s security cabinet has approved Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for ending the war in Gaza – which includes taking full security control of the Strip. Keir Starmer says the plan is “wrong”. Listen to the Daily podcast – on what full military occupation would look like – as you scroll.
Friday 8 August 2025 08:46, UK
The Israeli government has “sentenced the living hostages to death and the fallen hostages to disappearance” with its decision to expand military operations in Gaza, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
“The cabinet decision to launch the process of occupying the Strip is an official declaration of the abandonment of the hostages, while completely ignoring the repeated warning by the military echelon and the clear desire of more of the public in Israel,” it said, as the Times of Israel reports.
The group, which represents loved ones of the hostages seized by Hamas on 7 October 2023, also accused the Israeli government of acting against the national interest with a “foolish” move of “deception and unforgivable moral and security neglect” that brings Israel closer to a “colossal disaster for the hostages and [IDF] fighters”.
However, it added that the move can be stopped if a comprehensive deal to end the war and return all hostages is reached.
For its part, the Israeli government has made the return of all the hostages the second part of its five-point plan to end the war (see 7.53 post).
Israel expanding its military operations throughout Gaza could have “catastrophic consequences”, a United Nations official warned earlier this week.
Assistant secretary-general Miroslav Jenca told a UN Security Council briefing on Tuesday that the plan was “deeply alarming”.
“This would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza,” he said.
The UN meeting was called by Israel to discuss the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza after Hamas released footage of two emaciated hostages.
Jenca described footage of Evaytar David digging his own grave as “appalling” and said that the images of him and Rom Braslavsky were “an affront to humanity itself”.
We’ve just heard from Sir Keir Starmer, who has given his reaction to the decision by Israel’s security cabinet.
Starmer said the decision to further escalate the Gaza offensive “is wrong” and he urged Israel to “reconsider immediately”.
“This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages,” he said.
“It will only bring more bloodshed.”
Starmer said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening every day, with hostages taken by Hamas being held in “appalling” conditions.
“What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution,” Starmer added. 
“Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm.”
Starmer said the UK is working on a long-term plan with its allies to secure peace in the region as part of a two-state solution.
However, he added that without both sides engaging in good faith negotiations, “that prospect is vanishing before our eyes”.
“Our message is clear: a diplomatic solution is possible, but both parties must step away from the path of destruction.”
While the plan approved by the Israeli security cabinet focuses specifically on Gaza City, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intends to take military control of Gaza.
Israel Defence Forces will prepare for taking control of Gaza City as a first step, but the cabinet also agreed “five principles” for ending the war.
Here’s a reminder of those:
Asked if Israel plans to take over the entire coastal territory, Netanyahu told Fox News “we intend to”.
While he didn’t elaborate on the governance arrangements, Netanyahu said Israel wanted to hand over the territory to Arab forces.
“We don’t want to keep it, we want to have a security perimeter,” he said.
“We don’t want to govern it, we don’t want to be there as a governing body.”
Two government sources have told Reuters that any resolution by the security cabinet would need to be approved by the full cabinet, which may not meet until Sunday.
By Alex Rossi<\/a>, international correspondent<\/b>
Benjamin Netanyahu’s new direction in the war on Gaza risks dragging Israel into a conflict with no clear endpoint.
The stated goal remains, at least outwardly, the total destruction of Hamas.
But attempting to eliminate an idea, particularly one tied to resistance and Palestinian national identity, is likely an impossible task.
The Israeli prime minister’s plan has now received approval from the security cabinet.
Yet in many ways, this remains one man’s war.
Public opposition is growing. Protests have become a near-daily occurrence. Hostage families and their supporters continue to take to the streets, fearing the current strategy puts their loved ones in even greater danger.
The military also appears increasingly uneasy. The IDF’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, has raised strong objections.
He is warning of military fatigue, the risks of a prolonged occupation, and the danger of turning the Israeli army into a long-term policing force for millions of Palestinians.
Many within the military, like a significant portion of the Israeli public, would prefer a ceasefire that could lead to the release of more hostages. Israel currently claims to control around 75% of the Gaza Strip.
Under the new plan, it will attempt to move into the remaining areas. Under international law, Gaza is already considered under Israeli occupation.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 86.3% of the Strip falls within Israeli militarised zones. 
The most intense operations for the new plan will likely focus on Gaza City, considered the de facto capital of the Strip and the administrative stronghold of Hamas. Taking Gaza City is seen as a key step in weakening Hamas’s operational capabilities.
Its capture would also carry deep symbolic weight, potentially altering the political landscape of post-war Gaza. 
Israel believes a large number of hostages are still being held in or near Gaza City. This is one of the main reasons the IDF has previously avoided full incursions into those areas.
The risk to those in captivity remains high.
You can continue reading Rossi’s piece by clicking below…<\/i>
Protests were held yesterday as the Israeli security cabinet meeting went into the night.
Demonstrators in Tel Aviv held pictures of hostages’ faces and waved Israeli flags as they called for an end to the war in Gaza.
Commercial satellite images show Israel’s military building up troops and equipment near the border with Gaza that would support a possible new ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave, three US officials and a former official who viewed the imagery have told Sky News’ US partner network NBC.
According to the four sources, the images show troop movements and formations recognised as signs of an imminent major ground operation.
It comes after Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan overnight to take over Gaza City.
Israel’s opposition leader has condemned the decision to order the full military occupation of Gaza City, describing it as “a disaster that will lead to many more disasters”.
Yair Lapid said far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich dragged Benjamin Netanyahu into the plan, which he said would leave Israel “trapped in the field without a goal”.
He also hinted at opposition to the plan among senior Israeli officials.
“The cabinet’s decision tonight is a disaster that will lead to many more disasters,” Lapid said in a post on X.
“In complete contradiction to the opinion of the military and security ranks, without considering the erosion and exhaustion of the fighting forces, Ben Gvir and Smotrich dragged Netanyahu into a move that will take months, lead to the death of the hostages, the killing of many soldiers, cost tens of billions to the Israeli taxpayer, and lead to a political collapse.
“This is exactly what Hamas wanted: for Israel to be trapped in the field without a goal, without defining the picture of the day after, in a useless occupation that no one understands where it is leading.”
Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for Gaza will lead to a “lot more fighting”, which is why Israel’s military leadership were not keen on his approach, says our international correspondent Diana Magnay<\/a><\/b>.
“The army is exhausted, it will require drawing up many more reservists, endangering the lives of more soldiers,” she says.
And as for the hostages, if this plan leaves Hamas feeling cornered, the terror group may decide to take the lives of those it still holds, she adds.
That’s why the plan is also unpopular among hostage families, Magnay says.
As for the Palestinians in Gaza, “life could not get much worse”.
Dr James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, has said he believes Palestinians in Gaza “have already seen the very worst” of what they will endure in the territory.
Speaking after the security cabinet approved Mr Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City, Dr Zogby told Sky News: “It’s tough to escalate from genocide…. What is taking place is genocide.”
He continued: “What Netanyahu wants to do is put his forces in the centre of Gaza City and throughout the rest of the Gaza Strip. 
“That will simply mean more people dead. But it will not solve the problem. The problem is Israel’s occupation… Intensifying the occupation only makes the situation worse.”
Dr Zogby said Israel will not be secure as long as Palestinians are denied justice, freedom and the opportunity to grow their own economy in their own country. 
He added: “Israel will have peace when Palestinians have peace. They are two sides of the same coin. (Netanyahu) never got it.”
Dr Zogby continued: “The problem is Israel. It’s not Hamas… Netanyahu sits there, smirking and says, ‘we’re going to free the Palestinian people from Hamas’. Who’s going to free the Palestinian people from Benjamin Netanyahu?”
Israel has denied all accusations of genocide in Gaza.
Be the first to get Breaking News<\/span>
Install the Sky News app for free<\/p>\n

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