On Sunday morning (10 August), the Security Council is expected to hold an emergency briefing under the agenda item “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question” (MEPQ). The Council’s European members—Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia, and the UK—requested the meeting after Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan late yesterday evening EST (7 August) for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to take control of Gaza City. The meeting request was supported by all other Council members except the US. The expected briefers are Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča and Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva and Director of the Coordination Division Ramesh Rajasingham.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the plan in a statement issued yesterday, saying that the IDF “will prepare for taking control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones”. He further listed five principles that the security cabinet had approved for concluding the war in Gaza: 1) disarming Hamas; 2) the return of all hostages taken by Hamas and other militant groups during their 7 October 2023 attack on Israel; 3) the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip; 4) Israeli security control of the enclave; and 5) the establishment of “an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority”. Netanyahu added that the cabinet had rejected an “alternative plan” as insufficient to defeat Hamas or secure the hostages’ release, without elaborating on the details of that plan.

The announcement came as negotiations on a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas—mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US—had again reached a deadlock. In recent weeks, the parties had been negotiating a proposal for a 60-day truce during which Hamas would release the remaining hostages in stages while talks continue over the terms of a permanent ceasefire. The parties had not been able to agree on the details of this framework, however, and according to recent media reports, Israel and the US had decided to instead present Hamas with an ultimatum to release all the remaining hostages at once and agree to terms to permanently end the war, including the group’s disarmament. Hamas was expected to reject that demand, and Israel had reportedly threatened to further escalate its military operation in response.

The plan that was approved by Israel’s security cabinet mentions only Gaza City, although Netanyahu said in an interview yesterday that Israel intends to take control of the entire Strip before handing it to “Arab forces” while maintaining a “security perimeter”. According to media reports, fully occupying Gaza City—the territory’s largest city with approximately 900,000 residents—would give Israel control of about 85 percent of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the plan as a “full-fledged crime” amounting to genocide, systematic killing, starvation, and siege, and a “blatant violation” of international law and UN resolutions. It warned that the plan would cause an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe”, undermine Palestinian state institutions, and threaten regional peace. In a separate statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said that the plan risks confining more than two million people to less than ten percent of the Gaza Strip—steps that it described as precursors to forced displacement. It added that the “continued failure of the UN Security Council to enforce an immediate ceasefire, secure the release of hostages and detainees, protect civilians, and stop the use of starvation as a weapon has provided cover for the occupying government to pursue its plans of genocide, forced displacement, and annexation”.

The plan has also drawn criticism from the international community. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that it was “wrong” and would “only bring more bloodshed”. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a suspension of military equipment exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza, saying it was “increasingly unclear” how the plan would achieve the goals of ending the war and returning the hostages. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged Israel to reconsider, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that he was “gravely alarmed” by the decision, describing it as “a dangerous escalation” that could “deepen the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians” and “further endanger more lives, including of the remaining hostages”. By contrast, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee defended the plan as necessary to defeat Hamas, comparing it to the Allied bombing of Dresden during World War II.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is already disastrous as a result of Israel’s ongoing military campaign and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid. According to OCHA, citing figures from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, as at 31 July more than 61,100 Palestinians had been killed and over 151,000 injured since the war began in October 2023, including nearly 18,500 children. Nearly 12,000 children under five were acutely malnourished in July—the highest monthly figure to date—and at least 193 people, including 96 children, have died from malnutrition. On 29 July, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that “the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip”.

Additionally, OCHA reported that 86 percent of Gaza’s crop fields are damaged and only 1.5 percent remain both accessible and undamaged, while nearly 78 percent of structures have been destroyed or damaged. Hospitals are overwhelmed, with some operating at more than double capacity, and an estimated 14,800 patients require urgent medical evacuation. UN aid delivery is hampered by access restrictions and insecurity; between 30 July and 5 August, 39 percent of planned aid movements were delayed or only partially completed, and many aid supplies were “offloaded by hungry crowds or looted along aid convoy routes” before reaching their destinations.

Sunday’s meeting will allow Council members to get an assessment from UN briefers of the potential consequences of Israel’s planned takeover of Gaza City, including its humanitarian impact. While the US is likely to describe the move as consistent with Israel’s right to defend itself and blame Hamas for the ongoing war, most other members are expected to condemn the plan as a breach of international law, reiterating previous calls for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the restoration of full humanitarian access. Some might stress the link between these goals, emphasising a ceasefire as the best way to return the hostages while warning of the risks that an expanded military offensive poses to their safety. Several members may also underscore the need for a sustainable political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and caution against any unilateral moves that could undermine the viability of the two-state solution. In this regard, some may call for urgent action to implement the outcome document of the high-level international conference on the matter, which was held at UN Headquarters between 28 and 30 July.

Tags: Insights on the Middle East, Middle East including the Palestinian Question

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