Israel-Gaza LIVE: Starmer explodes in rage as Netanyahu plans total takeover in Palestine
Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, said the Israeli government’s decision to occupy Gaza City will “create even more human suffering”.
In a post on X he wrote: "The decision of the Israeli Government to seize control of Gaza City is completely and utterly unacceptable.
"The international community must stop Israel and secure a ceasefire," he added.
The decision of the Israeli Government to seize control of Gaza City is completely and utterly unacceptable. It will create even more human suffering for the Palestinian people and further escalate the conflict. The international community must stop Israel and secure a ceasefire.
\u2014 John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) August 8, 2025
China has expressed "serious concerns" over Israel’s new plan, urging it to "immediately cease its dangerous actions".
"Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory," a foreign ministry spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
A senior Palestinian politician has condemned Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City, accusing Mr Netanyahu of pursuing the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
"Netanyahu proved that he doesn't care about Israeli captives, never wanted to reach a ceasefire agreement," Mustafa Barghouti said in a post on X.
He added that the Israeli PM was using the destruction of Hamas "as a cover for his intention to ethnically cleanse all the Palestinian people in Gaza".
Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of carrying out genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli Cabinet decision to fully occupy Gaza and displace its entire population reveals the real intentions of Netanyahu and his fascist government, the ethnic cleansing of all the Palestinian people in the Gaza strip.Netanyahu proved that he doesn\u2019t care about Israeli\u2026
\u2014 Mustafa Barghouti @Mustafa_Barghouti (@MustafaBarghou1) August 8, 2025
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has condemned Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City, saying it “only further endangers those still held in Gaza’s tunnels”.
The forum, which supports the families of those taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023, accused the Israeli security cabinet of ignoring "repeated warnings from military leadership and the clear will of the majority of the Israeli public".
In its statement on Friday (August 8), the forum said the Israeli government was “leading us toward a colossal catastrophe for both the hostages and our soldiers”.
Referring to footage recently released by Hamas of Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski - hostages still held in Gaza since October 7 - the forum said: "They don't have any time left. We can't leave them in the hands of these monsters any longer."
The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, has said it was “increasingly clear” that Benjamin Netanyahu’s “goal is ethnic cleansing” in Gaza. He urged Sir Keir Starmer to stop the export of all UK arms to Israel and sanction the Israeli PM.
"Netanyahu’s plans to occupy the whole of Gaza are utterly abhorrent – and it’s increasingly clear that his goal is ethnic cleansing," Sir Ed said.
"This plan will only serve to wreak more devastation on the lives of millions of Gazans – whose homes and communities have already been destroyed – while endangering the lives of those hostages still held by Hamas.
"Rather than sitting on its hands and issuing strongly worded statements, the UK government needs to take decisive action. Keir Starmer needs to stop the export of all UK arms to Israel – today – and sanction Netanyahu and his cabinet."
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, three US officials and a former official who viewed the imagery told NBC.
According to the sources, the images show troop movements and formations recognised as signs of an imminent major ground operation.
Turkey's foreign ministry has said Israel must immediately halt its war plans and agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.
It also urged Israel to start negotiations for a two-state solution, saying the continuation of the war deals a heavy blow to global security.
Turkey advised the international community and the UN Security Council to prevent the implementation of Israel's new plan.
Meanwhile, Finland’s foreign minister Elina Valtonen said she was “extremely worried” by the looming famine in Gaza. According to Reuters, Valtonen said: "We hope for an immediate Gaza ceasefire and the immediate release of Israeli hostages".
Netanyahu's new plan aims to see Israeli forces move to take control of Gaza City - in the north of the enclave - for the first time during this conflict.
The city is home to one million people and is surrounded by land that has already been under Israel Defense Forces (IDF) control or subject to an evacuation order.
Israel says it controls 75% of Gaza, while the UN estimates some 86% of the territory is either in militarised zones or under evacuation orders.
There are areas in the central Gaza Strip, along the Mediterranean coast, that Israel does not occupy, according to the UN. These areas include refugee camps, where much of Gaza's population is now living after their homes were destroyed.
The United Nations' High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has said that "the Israeli Government’s plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted".
"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," Mr Turk said in a statement.
Indonesia will treat 2,000 wounded Gazans on an uninhabited island, a spokesperson for the country's president has said.
However, details on how they will reach Indonesia have not been disclosed.
A medical facility will be established on Galang Island - south of Singapore - in an effort coordinated by the country's defence and foreign ministries.
"This is not an evacuation. It is for treatment purposes only. After they recover and complete their care, they will return to Gaza," the spokesperson added.
The UN previously hosted Vietnamese refugees on Galang and a hospital was set up there during the pandemic to treat COVID-19 patients.
As more international reaction comes in after Mr Netanyahu revealed plans to take control of Gaza City, Penny Wong, Australia's foreign affairs minister, has released a statement.
She said: Australia calls on Israel to not go down this path, which will only worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza".
She added that permanent forced displacement was a violation of international law and repeated calls for a ceasefire, the unimpeded flow of aid and for Hamas to return the hostages taken in October 2023.
"A two-state solution is the only pathway to secure an enduring peace - a Palestinian state and the State of Israel, living side-by-side in peace and security within internationally-recognised borders," she added.
Australia's Environment Minister, Murray Watt, earlier said the government "strongly opposed the forced occupation of Gaza".
Israel's leader of the opposition has slammed the security cabinet's decision to take over Gaza City as "a disaster" which will "lead to many more disasters".
Yair Lapid says a takeover of Gaza City would lead to the deaths of the remaining hostages and the killing of many Israeli soldiers.
The plan is "in complete opposition to the opinion of the military and security ranks", he added.
The army's chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, has also warned against the move. He has accused Netanyahu of bowing to pressure from far-right security cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Hundreds of protesters rallied near Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem on Thursday night, calling for a deal to free the hostages.
The demonstration has been described as a "huge public backlash" by Israeli journalists, the BBC reported.
"The government is taking steps that are very, very unpopular," said Tal Schneider, political correspondent at the Times of Israel.
"All public polling suggests that the public is very much against this step," she said, adding that Netanyahu appears to be in a "bubble or a cocoon".
Israel is considering cutting security ties with the UK if Sir Keir Starmer recognises Palestine next month, according to reports.
Diplomatic sources told The Times that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is considering it as one of several options.
"London needs to be careful because Bibi [Netanyahu] and his ministers have cards they could play too," a source told the outlet.
"Israel values its partnership with the UK but recent decisions mean it is coming under pressure and the UK has a lot to lose if Israel’s government decides to take steps in response."
Last month, Sir Keir revealed that the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations unless Israel meets certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted furiously to the announcement, saying the decision rewarded "Hamas' monstrous terrorism".
Donald Trump reportedly started shouting at Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone when he tried to say reports of children starving in Gaza were fake, according to NBC News.
After the US president publicly undermined Mr Netanyahu by saying he was “not particularly convinced” that images of starving children were fake, Mr Netanyahu demanded a phone call with him.
The conversation was “a direct, mostly one-way conversation about the status of humanitarian aid” in which the US president “was doing most of the talking,” a former US official said.
When Mr Netanyahu tried to say images of starving children were not real, Mr Trump interrupted and started shouting, saying he didn’t want to see them labelled “fake”.
Earlier today, a junior minister said the UK Government hopes Israel reconsiders its plan to take over Gaza City.
"We think that decision is the wrong decision, and we hope that the Israeli government will reconsider it," Miatta Fahnbulleh, a junior energy minister, said on Times Radio. "It risks escalating an already intolerable and atrocious situation."
She said later on Sky News: "Our priority is, in order to try and get a ceasefire, we’ve got to get parties around the table. I know it feels incredibly hard given the current situation, but it has to be the priority."
Earlier this week, the UN described the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as "critical", with 2.1 million people fighting starvation because of aid shortages.
Mr Netanyahu’s plan to fully occupy Gaza has been met with criticism and concern from both protesters in Jerusalem and at home in the UK.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the Israeli government’s decision to "further escalate its offensive" and take over Gaza City "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," the statement continued.
"Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution. Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm.
"Together with our allies, we are working on a long-term plan to secure peace in the region as part of a two-state solution, and ultimately achieve a brighter future for Palestinians and Israelis.
"But without both sides engaging in good faith in 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."
As the Israeli cabinet meeting began, hundreds of protesters rallied near the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem, calling for a deal to free the hostages.
Overnight, the Security Council approved five principles for concluding the war. This involves:
1. The disarmament of Hamas
2. The return of all hostages (alive and dead)
3. The demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip
4. The establishment of Israeli security control of the Gaza Strip
5. The installation of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.
"A decisive majority of security cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan that had been submitted to the security cabinet would neither achieve the defeat of Hamas nor the return of the hostages," a statement from Mr Netanyahu’s office added, but did not give any further details.
As Israel’s security cabinet convened on Thursday night (August 7), Benjamin Netanyahu said he planned to fully occupy Gaza, but he did not intend to govern it.
The Israeli prime minister told Fox News that a full occupation would be the only way to ensure Israel’s security and wipe out Hamas.
He added Israel did not want "to keep" the Gaza Strip, and that he would prefer to hand the Palestinian territory to "Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life.
"That’s not possible with Hamas."
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of events in Israel and the Gaza Strip after Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to fully occupy Gaza.
Stay tuned for updates.
Daily Express
