The UN demands an immediate halt to Israel's plan for military control of Gaza City: "Everything points to more death and suffering."

The Israeli government's plan "aiming at complete military control of the occupied Gaza Strip must be halted immediately," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement on Friday.

This plan, adopted early Friday morning by the Israeli security cabinet, "goes against the International Court of Justice's ruling that Israel must end its occupation as soon as possible, the realization of the agreed two-state solution, and the Palestinians' right to self-determination," Türk said in a statement.

"Everything indicates that this new escalation will lead to even more massive forced displacements, more deaths, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction, and atrocious crimes," the High Commissioner denounced.

Türk called on the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza "unhindered" instead of escalating the war.

The hostages, kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israeli territory, "must be released immediately and unconditionally by the Palestinian armed groups," the UN official also demanded.

The Israeli army responded to this unprecedented attack by launching a war that has destroyed much of the Gaza Strip and caused more than 60,000 deaths, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.

"Palestinians arbitrarily detained by Israel must also be released immediately and unconditionally," Türk added.

Germany will suspend the export of military equipment to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Friedrich Merz said Friday, reacting to Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City.

According to the foreign minister, it is "increasingly difficult to understand" how the Israeli military plan would help achieve legitimate objectives.

"Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorize any export of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice," Merz added, as quoted in a statement.

This decision marks a change of course by the German government, one of Israel's staunchest allies—along with the United States—due to Germany's historical responsibility in the Holocaust.

"The German government remains deeply concerned about the continued suffering of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip," Merz stressed.

"With the planned offensive, the Israeli government assumes an even greater responsibility" when it comes to aiding civilians in the Palestinian territory, he continued, reiterating his call for full access for "UN organizations and other non-governmental institutions."

The international community is increasingly concerned about the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where a United Nations-backed assessment warned of the risk of starvation.

"The German government strongly urges the Israeli government not to take further steps toward annexing the West Bank," the chancellor also emphasized.