Cyprus expresses ‘gravest of concern’ over Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza City

Cyprus’ foreign ministry on Saturday expressed the “gravest concern” over Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, saying that the move “will exacerbate civilian suffering and even lead to further escalation”.

“We reiterate the urgency of an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and an unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid at massive scale in line with humanitarian principles,” it said.

It added that Hamas “must disarm”, and that “no terrorist group can ever have any role in Gaza”.

“The territorial and demographic status of the Gaza strip must remain grounded in international law. We reaffirm that the two-state solution is the only sustainable path to lasting peace and security,” it said.

Israel’s security cabinet, a body which acts as an “inner cabinet” inside the country’s government, had on Friday approved a plan to take control of the city, hours after the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said Israel intended to take military control of the entire strip.

However, when speaking to American television channel Fox News, he had insisted that he did not wish to take political control of Gaza.

“We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body,” he said, adding that he wished to hand the territory over to Arab forces, which would subsequently govern it.

The move has drawn fierce criticism from across the world, with the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – typically a staunch supporter of Israel – among the first to react.

“The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hamas described the decision as a “war crime” and said the Israeli government “does not care about the fate of its hostages”, as reaction to the move quickly spread across Europe and beyond.

Turkey’s foreign ministry called on the Israeli government to “immediately halt” its plans, agree a ceasefire in Gaza, and start negotiations for a two-state solution, accusing Israel of “genocide and occupation of Palestinian lands”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, meanwhile, implored the Israeli government to reconsider.

The biggest blow was dealt by Germany, however, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that the country would suspend its exports of weaponry which could be used in the Gaza strip.

Germany is, according to news agency Reuters, Israel’s second largest provider of weaponry, after the United States.