Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli airstrike in the Al-Rimal area, west of Gaza City, on Aug. 8, 2025. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

 

The UN Security Council will convene for an emergency meeting on Sunday following Israel's decision to expand its military operations in the Gaza Strip, according to Japanese news outlet NHK World. A Chinese expert said on Sunday that the primary focus may be to urge Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza and abandon its plan for the complete occupation of Gaza City. 

According to the UN Security Council's website, a meeting is scheduled for 10 am on Sunday US local time, and the agenda includes the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. 

The meeting will discuss responses after the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced that the country's security cabinet approved the plan to expand military operations in Gaza City, which is located in the northern part of the enclave, NHK World reported.

The Israeli army's planned takeover of Gaza City is expected to take at least six months, Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported on Saturday evening. Citing senior security sources, the channel detailed the army's timetable following the Security Cabinet's approval of the operation on Friday, according to the Xinhua News Agency on Saturday.

The channel said that in two weeks, the army will begin evacuating more than 800,000 residents of the Strip's largest city to the humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, Xinhua reported.

The Israeli army's decision to take over Gaza City has drawn condemnation both domestically and internationally, with critics arguing it violates international law, worsens the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and undermines efforts to reach a ceasefire. Meanwhile, thousands demonstrated in Tel Aviv's "Hostages Square" Saturday evening, calling for an end to the war through an agreement that would secure the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, per the Xinhua report.

A statement issued on Friday by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the Secretary-General is "gravely alarmed" by the decision of the Israeli Government to "take control of Gaza City." This decision marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians, and could further endanger more lives, including of the remaining hostages, read the statement. 

The Secretary-General once again strongly urges the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law, according to the statement. 

"The Israeli Government's plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement, Al Jazeera reported. 

"It runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realisation of the agreed two-State solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination," Turk added, according to Al Jazeera. 

Riyad Mansour, Palestine's representative to the UN, said Saturday that Israel's plan to fully take over Gaza is in "total contradiction to the will of the international community, international law and common sense." He also said it is the "duty" of the rest of the world to act, according to Sky News. 

"Enough is enough," he added. "We don't need more wars, more killing, more agonies, more occupation, more genocide. "What we need is to stop this machine of war and to open doors for peace," per the Sky News report. 

Commenting on Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday that China is gravely concerned about Israel's decision, and urges Israel to halt the move at once. 

"Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an integral part of the Palestinian territory. The right way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and realize the release of those being held is an immediate ceasefire, and the key to fully settling the conflict in Gaza is also a ceasefire. This is the only means to pave the way for ending the conflict and uphold security in the region." Guo said. 

China stands ready to work with the rest of the international community to stop the fighting in Gaza as early as possible, ease the humanitarian disaster, implement the two-State solution and ultimately realize the full, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, Guo said. 

Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Sunday that the UN Security Council's primary focus may be to urge Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza and abandon its plan for the complete occupation of Gaza City. 

However, Liu also noted significant obstacles to reaching a binding resolution, citing the US' policy of supporting and shielding Israel.

Liu added that Israel would face significant challenges in implementing the plan, including international isolation, severe internal political divisions, and difficulties in effectively controlling Gaza.

The ministerial committee mandated by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on Gaza, along with 23 countries, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, on Saturday jointly voiced "strong condemnation and categorical rejection" of Israel's intention to impose full military control over Gaza, Xinhua reported.

The joint statement, released by the foreign ministries of the countries, including Egypt, Palestine, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Mauritania, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Chad, Djibouti, Somalia, Türkiye, and Gambia, described the Israeli intention as "a dangerous and unacceptable escalation, a flagrant violation of international law, and an attempt to entrench the illegal occupation and impose a fait accompli on the ground by force, in contravention of international legitimacy," according to Xinhua.

The statement warned that the declared Israeli course of action "constitutes a continuation of its grave violations, including killing and starvation, attempts at forced displacement and annexation of Palestinian land, and settler terrorism, which are crimes that may amount to crimes against humanity," Xinhua reported. 

Israel's plan also drew harsh responses from some European countries. Germany has suspended all military exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza, after Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to take over Gaza City, Al Jazeera reported on Friday.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Israel's decision to step up military operations in Gaza "wrong" and urged restraint. "The Israeli government's decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately," he said, according to Al Jazeera.

France condemned Israel's plan to establish military control over Gaza City, warning it would lead to a deadlock in efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict, Al Jazeera reported.