Iraq condemns Israeli plan to take full control of Gaza Strip

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday condemned a plan by what it called “the occupying entity” to take full control of the Gaza Strip, calling it “a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”

In a statement, the ministry said it “affirms Iraq’s outright rejection of this escalatory plan,” describing it as “a continuation of the policy of starvation, displacement, and mass killing” against people in Gaza, actions it said “constitute war crimes requiring international accountability.”

The urged the international community to “immediately put an end to these violations.”

Israel’s cabinet approved Friday a plan, put forward by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to take military control of Gaza Strip. This plan aims to dismantle Hamas and potentially displace up to around a million Palestinians, prompting widespread concern.

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and triggered the current war, Israel has launched a sustained military campaign across the Gaza Strip. Gaza health authorities report that more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 123,000 injured since the conflict began.

Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Republic of Iraq’s strongest condemnation of the plan approved by the occupying entity, which aims for full control over and occupation of the Gaza Strip, in flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.

The Ministry affirms Iraq’s outright rejection of this escalatory plan, which is a continuation of the policy of starvation, displacement, and mass killing practiced by the occupation against innocent civilians in Gaza, acts that constitute war crimes requiring international accountability.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates Iraq’s firm and unwavering position in support of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, and calls on the international community to assume its legal and humanitarian responsibilities and to immediately put an end to these violations.