TEHRAN – Iran has joined the growing list of countries sounding the alarm over Israel’s planned occupation of Gaza City – part of the besieged enclave that has endured relentless Israeli bombardment over the past two years, leaving more than 61,000 Palestinians dead.

In a statement released on Sunday, Iran’s foreign ministry said the Gaza occupation plan is part of a broader scheme by Israel to “complete the genocide of Palestinians” and “erase the identity and existence of Palestine.”

“This decision constitutes a grave violation of international law and a deliberate attempt to expand occupation and impose new realities across the occupied Palestinian territories by force and military aggression. Undoubtedly, the renewed displacement of Palestinians is categorically condemned,” it added.

Israel’s security cabinet approved a proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “defeat Hamas” last week. The proposal orders the Israeli military to prepare to take control of Gaza City, according to a statement by the convicted war criminal’s office. 

The Hamas Resistance group called Israel’s expansionist plan a “war crime,” stressing that Palestinians would “resist any occupation or aggressive force.”

The decision has ignited fury not only among Palestinians and regional countries, but also among the regime’s staunch Western supporters. 

On Friday, foreign ministers from the UK, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Australia released a joint statement rejecting the plan, saying it would "aggravate" the already "catastrophic" situation in Gaza. "Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law," they added.

U.S. President Donald Trump, however, has said it is “up to Israel” whether to occupy Gaza City. “As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say. That’s going to be pretty much up to Israel,” the American president told reporters.

Inside Israel, the decision has erupted a furor among settlers, as well as military officials, who find it both meaningless and costly to maintain forces in Gaza. Despite the relentless bombing and killing of Palestinians in the past two years, Israel has not managed to fulfill Netanyahu’s promise of “eradicating” Hamas, nor has it managed to free the prisoners Hamas brought into Gaza after a successful infiltration of the occupied territories on October 7, 2023. 

Netanyahu and is entourage have so far shown little willingness to walk back the occupation plan. The regime’s War Minister Israel Katz has said countries that condemned Israel would "not weaken our resolve".