The UN human rights commissioner Volker Türk calls the escalation "completely unacceptable" and demands an end to the "bloodbath".
The whole world is screaming for peace. Palestinians and Israelis are screaming for peace, he says.
But instead, we see a further escalation that is completely unacceptable.
”Must cease”
Türk points out that Israel has recently directed several attacks on places and residential houses "that have served as protection for people who have been displaced repeatedly".
These attacks must cease, says Volker Türk.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper calls the intensified offensive "completely ruthless and appalling".
”It will only create more bloodshed, kill more innocent civilians and put remaining hostages at risk”, she writes on X.
From Paris, similar tones are heard:
”France urges Israel to halt its destructive operation, which is no longer based on any military logic, and resume negotiations as soon as possible”, the foreign ministry writes in a statement.
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul adds that this is "completely the wrong way to go" and calls for diplomacy.
No criticism from the USA
Even Spain's King Felipe IV expresses his concern, in a rare comment from the monarch on international affairs.
The latest phase of this conflict has developed into an unbearable humanitarian crisis, an unimaginable suffering for hundreds of thousands of innocent people and the total destruction of Gaza, says the king during a visit to Egypt.
The Turkish foreign ministry describes the offensive as a new phase in Israel's "genocide plans" and warns that the escalation will lead to mass displacement of Palestinians.
Israel's most important ally, the USA, however, shows no signs of trying to restrain Israel. During his visit to Israel on Monday, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio said that the USA certainly prefers a negotiated peace but that it "sometimes is impossible" when dealing with "barbaric groups like Hamas".
