Bibi's Gaza Plan Meets With a Chorus of Nos

Benjamin Netanyahu's plans for Israel to take over Gaza City amid international calls for a ceasefire in the nation's fight with Hamas aren't going over well with many. The New York Times reports that the prime minister is being "broadly criticized"—by resident politicians, global allies, families of the Hamas-held Israeli hostages, and more.

• Within Israel: On X, opposition leader Yair Lapid called the decision "a disaster that will lead to many more disasters," adding that the operation "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." He noted that "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."

• UK's PM: "The Israeli government's decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately," Keir Starmer said in a statement. "This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed."
• Germany: "Under these circumstances, the German government will not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice," noted Chancellor Friedrich Merz, per the Guardian.
• European Commission: "The Israeli government's decision to further extend its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered," President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X, calling for a ceasefire. "At the same time, there must be the release of all hostages, who are being held in inhumane conditions. And humanitarian aid must be given immediate and unhindered access to Gaza to deliver what is urgently needed on the ground."

• UN human rights chief: "The Israeli Government's plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted," noted Volker Turk said in a statement, per Al Jazeera. "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 realization of the agreed two-state solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination."
• Hostages' kin: "There has never been a government in Israel that has acted with such great determination against the national interest," says the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents loved ones of some of the hostages, in its own statement, per the Times. "The security cabinet chose another march of folly on the backs of the hostages, the fighters, and all of Israeli society."
• Hamas: "The decision to occupy Gaza confirms that the criminal Netanyahu and his Nazi government do not care about the fate of their captives," the group said in a statement, per Al Jazeera. "They understand that expanding the aggression means sacrificing them."