UK, France, Canada warn Israel of action over Gaza war escalation

The leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Canada have jointly condemned Israel’s heightened military offensive in Gaza, threatening "concrete" action unless the Netanyahu government halts its operations and lifts its humanitarian aid blockade.

But Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that Israel will achieve "total victory" in Gaza and hit back at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying their joint statement was a "huge prize" for Hamas in the Gaza war.

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Allies threaten action

In a joint statement issued on Monday (May 19), the leaders of its three key allies slammed Israel's expansion of its war and labelled Israel’s recent actions in the Palestinian territory as “egregious” and declared conditions in Gaza “intolerable”.

The trio stated: “We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.”

Though the three countries did not specify what action could be taken against Israel, they added, "We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to achieving a two-state solution and are prepared to work with others to this end."

Aid blockade

The statement coincided with a joint demand from 22 nations, including the UK, France and Canada, calling on Israel to immediately "allow a full resumption of humanitarian aid into Gaza", noting that the territory's population "faces starvation".

The British-French-Canada joint statement said Israel's "denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law". Israel has kept Gaza in a total aid blockade since March 2, but announced on Monday it would allow in a limited number of supply trucks.

The declaration also condemned the "abhorrent language" used by some members of the Israeli government, threatening that, "in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate". The leaders reiterated that any form of "permanent forced displacement" is a "breach of international humanitarian law".

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Netanyahu’s rebuttal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back at Starmer, Macron and Carney, accusing the Western allies of emboldening terrorism. He argued that Israel is fighting a "war of civilisation over barbarism" and insisted that Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until "total victory" is achieved.

"By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottawa and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities," Netanyahu said, referring to the Hamas attacks in 2023 that set off the war.

Netanyahu further declared the war would only end if the remaining Israeli hostages are released, Hamas lays down its arms, its murderous leaders are exiled and Gaza is demilitarised. He urged all European leaders to follow US President Donald Trump’s example in supporting Israel.

Also Read: ‘Nobody is expelling any Palestinians’: Trump’s new clarification on ‘Gaza takeover’

Escalating conflict

Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza as part of its ongoing retaliation for the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault, which resulted in the death of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, the majority of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

In a video posted on Telegram, Netanyahu said that "the fighting (in Gaza) is intense and we are making progress". "We will take control of all the territory of the strip," he added.

Israel’s renewed military offensive against Gaza, active since March 18, has so far killed at least 3,340 Palestinians, bringing the total death toll in Gaza since October 2023 to over 53,486, according to Gaza’s health ministry.