1 month ago
15
International allies and families of hostages condemned Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take control of Gaza City, with the British prime minister calling it “wrong.”
Aug. 8, 2025, 6:58 a.m. ET
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced international and domestic criticism on Friday after his office announced that the Israeli military would escalate its nearly two-year-old campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Statements by Britain and the families of hostages held by militant groups in Gaza reflected Mr. Netanyahu’s intensifying clash with both some longstanding allies abroad and supporters of hostages at home.
“The Israeli Government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately,” Keir Starmer, the prime minister of Britain, 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.”
In recent weeks, many European countries have urged Israel to end the war in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, reduced cities to rubble and caused a widespread hunger crisis. The Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war, killed about 1,200 people and about 250 people were taken captive to Gaza.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing many families of hostages, said the Israeli government had issued a “death sentence to the living hostages” and ”a disappearance sentence” to the bodies of those killed in captivity.
“There has never been a government in Israel that has acted with such great determination against the national interest,” the group said in a statement. “The security cabinet chose another march of folly on the backs of the hostages, the fighters, and all of Israeli society.”
Image
On Friday, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to expand the war by taking control of Gaza City, a pivotal and risky decision that went against the recommendations of the Israeli military.
Before the meeting, Mr. Netanyahu had told Fox News that Israel intended to take control of Gaza, bucking the advice of his military leadership, which has expressed concern about the exhaustion of reservist soldiers and the burdens of governing millions of Palestinians. The government’s announcement did not explicitly state that the military would carry out a full military takeover of Gaza.
The families of hostages worry that Israel widening its operations in Gaza could lead the military to inadvertently kill their loved ones or Hamas to execute them.
More than three dozen hostages have been killed while in captivity, according to an investigation by The New York Times. Up to 20 hostages are believed to still be alive, according to Israeli authorities.
The prospect of Israel moving into Gaza City also stoked fears among Palestinians in Gaza, who have been repeatedly displaced and struggle to find food, clean water, and electricity.
“There’s frustration and despair,” said Abdullah Shehab, 32, who has been staying at his sister’s home in Gaza City since he was forced to leave his hometown Jabalia at the end of May. “I feel like we’re waiting for a new hell to be brought upon us.”
He said when he saw planes parachuting aid into Gaza on Friday, he imagined a rope extending to the ground and climbing on board.
“I’m ready to leave,” he said. “I love Gaza, but I can’t handle the misery anymore.”
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
