UN: Gaza escalation threatens Palestinians, hostages

A spokeswoman for the United Nations on Friday described Israel's decision to capture Gaza City as 'deeply alarming'.
'It is clear that this would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza', spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said in Geneva, after the Israeli Security Cabinet approved the expansion of operations overnight.
Any decision to expand Israeli military operations is 'extremely alarming', she said in a press conference in response to a journalist's question.
She explained that suffering and hunger would increase as a result and humanitarian aid would be hindered.
The humanitarian situation for the approximately 2 million Palestinians in the blockaded coastal area has deteriorated to such an extent that UN organisations and experts are warning of famine.
Israel continues to fight the Palestinian Hamas in the now largely destroyed Gaza Strip, where hostages are still being held.
According to Israeli assessments, there are still 50 hostages in Gaza, of whom 20 are believed to be alive.
The war was triggered by the massacre carried out by Hamas and other extremists from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 people dead and around 250 abducted to the Gaza Strip.
More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the ensuing conflict, according to figures from the Hamas-run health authorities in the Gaza Strip.
The figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but are seen as credible by the United Nations and other organisations.
Meanwhile, Belgium said on Friday that it was summoning the Israeli ambassador over Israel's plans to 'take military control' of the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
'The aim is clearly to express our total disapproval of this decision, but also of the continued colonisation', Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot posted on X. — dpa