Gaza 'takeover' will ignite another horrific chapter for the Middle East

The only way to stop the immense human suffering in the Gaza Strip is for Israel to immediately cease military operations and fully comply with international law, especially international humanitarian law. It must fully restore humanitarian access and support humanitarian agencies, such as those of the United Nations, in delivering aid.

There needs to be an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, as well as rapid, safe, unimpeded and large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.

Instead, Tel Aviv has indicated it will proceed with what it calls the "liberation" of the region from a "terror regime". In a plan, approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet on Thursday, its focus is on taking full control of Gaza City, relocating its estimated 1 million residents further south, and taking control of the refugee camps in central Gaza and areas where hostages are thought to be held.

Given the track record of Israel, which has occupied the Golan Heights of Syria and large areas of the Palestinian territories since the Six-Day War of 1967, this is anything but "liberation".

The Israeli delegate to the United Nations denied Tel Aviv's intention is to permanently occupy Gaza at a UN Security Council meeting on the takeover plan on Sunday, but few parties really buy that claim.

European Council President Antonio Costa strongly urged the Israeli government to reconsider the plan, stating that the takeover, along with large-scale destruction in Gaza, continued settlement expansion in the West Bank, the blockade on aid, and the weaponizing of hunger undermine fundamental principles of international law and universal values.

The Benjamin Netanyahu government's plan was adopted by the country's security Cabinet despite the fierce objection and grave warnings of some in Israel's military that the action could both deepen the humanitarian crisis and endanger the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Reports indicate that the Israel Defense Forces would surround Gaza for three months. This would then reportedly be followed by an additional two months to seize control of Gaza City and the central refugee camps and clear the entire area of Palestinian armed groups.

The thousands of protesters that gathered in Tel Aviv and cities across Israel on the weekend to call for a ceasefire and the implementation of the hostage release deal clearly show the hypocrisy of the Israeli government's "liberation" claims as well as the Israeli people's awareness that it is part of the Israeli prime minister's domestic political maneuvering.

But although UN officials have warned Israel that it will be "igniting another horrific chapter" in the conflict if it presses ahead with its decision to take over the whole of Gaza, Tel Aviv has shown no signs that it will drop its plan.

More than 61,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including over 18,000 children, and 151,000 have been injured, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health, while dozens of hostages are believed to remain in Gaza. Were it not for the grave humanitarian crisis Israel has caused in the Palestinian enclave over the past months, it is unlikely there would have been so many voices condemning Israel's latest plan and calling for the implementation of the "two-state solution".

"The suffering endured by Palestinians and Israelis over the past 22 months has been nothing short of soul-searing," said Ramesh Rajasingham, head and representative of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva.

To end the cycle of violence, it is necessary to fully implement the "two-state solution" and establish an independent state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders.

The international community should redouble its efforts to advance the political process for the "two-state solution" and jointly counter any unilateral move that sabotages its foundation.

There will be no sustainable solution to the crisis without an end to Israel's unlawful occupation of Palestinian territories and the realization of the "two-state solution". Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a Palestinian State.

As Chinese Ambassador to the UN Fu Cong reiterated at the UN Security Council meeting on the weekend, China stands ready to work alongside the international community to advance an end to the war in Gaza, alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe, and implement the "two-state solution", ultimately achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting solution of the Palestine question.