'We think that this is a very bad step in an absolutely wrong direction,' says Dmitry Polyanskiy
Russia on Thursday condemned Israel's plans to occupy the Gaza Strip, calling it a "very bad step" and a violation of UN decisions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"I think that our position is quite clear, as it is similar to the position of everybody in the Security Council," said Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's deputy ambassador to the UN, speaking to reporters at UN headquarters in New York.
"We think that this is a very bad step in an absolutely wrong direction, and we condemn this kind of action," he added.
Stressing that Moscow opposes such plans, he said: "We did it from the outset, from the moment when these plans were announced and contemplated."
He said the actions "run counter to all the UN decisions on the Palestine-Israeli conflict," adding that "the only basis for the solution of this conflict would be a two-state solution, which has been reconfirmed several times, including during the recent conference in New York that adopted very important decisions."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a phased plan to seize control of the Gaza Strip during a high-stakes Security Cabinet meeting late Thursday, local media reported.
The public broadcaster KAN, citing unnamed official sources, said Netanyahu proposed what was described as a “light” and “gradual” strategy during one of the most sensitive meetings since the Gaza war began.
According to the report, the plan calls for Israeli forces to advance into areas they have not previously entered, including what it describes as Hamas training camps in central Gaza and Gaza City itself, despite warnings from army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.
The plan begins with displacing Gaza City’s residents to the south, followed by encircling the city and launching further ground incursions into densely populated areas, the sources told KAN.
Israel has been facing mounting outrage over its destructive war on Gaza, where more than 61,200 people have been killed since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
