CNN - Israel's announcement has drawn criticism from leaders across the world. - August 08, 2025

 5 hr 35 min ago

Israel's announcement has drawn criticism from leaders across the world. Here's what you need to know

From CNN Staff

Tents are seen in the Al-Katibeh area of Gaza City on Monday. 

Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images

Israel’s security cabinet announced in the early hours of Friday morning local time that it approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, sparking condemnation both within Israel and internationally.

The Palestinian Authority warned that the decision will lead to an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” as the United Nations’ human rights chief said that the planned takeover “must be immediately halted.”

Inside Israel, the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters said that the government “is leading us toward a colossal catastrophe for both the hostages and our soldiers.”

Here’s what else you need to know:

• Germany halts arms exports: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that his country has decided to suspend the export of military equipment that could be used by Israel in Gaza. Jeremy Issacharoff, a former ambassador of Israel to Germany, called this a “serious ramification,” adding that his country “should be concerned.”

• Belgium summons Israeli ambassador: Belgium summoned the Israeli ambassador in Brussels to express its “total disapproval” of the decision, as well as Israel’s “continued colonization” of Palestinian land, Maxime Prevot, Belgium’s foreign minister announced.

• Hostages lives at risk: Hamas condemned the Israeli government’s plans as a “full-fledged war crime” that will come at a “high cost.” The decision shows that the Israeli government is “indifferent to the fate of their captives” and “fully aware that expanding the aggression would mean sacrificing them,” the militant group said.

• Hostage father slams Netanyahu: The father of a hostage currently held in Gaza alleged that Netanyahu would prefer the hostages to be dead so he can carry out intensified attacks on the enclave. “Once you convince everybody that they are all dead … you can say, ‘OK, we can go brute force on the Gaza Strip, bomb everything,’” Yehuda Cohen said in an interview with the BBC.

• Major hospital running out of fuel: Meanwhile in Gaza, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said its fuel supply is quickly running out and “will only keep the hospital running for a few more hours” if it is not soon replenished. This means that it will be forced to shut down all of its operations, including its surgical theaters, intensive care units, neonatal incubators, and ventilators.