Leaders from both the Pacific and the Middle East have voiced strong opposition to Israel’s reported plan to seize Gaza City and potentially extend control over the entire Gaza Strip, warning it risks escalating an already dire humanitarian crisis. In Queenstown, New Zealand, Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Christopher Luxon of New Zealand presented a united front on global instability during their annual bilateral talks, according to ABC's report. The two leaders signed a joint statement condemning Israel’s latest military intentions in Gaza, saying the move risked violati

Leaders from both the Pacific and the Middle East have voiced strong opposition to Israel’s reported plan to seize Gaza City and potentially extend control over the entire Gaza Strip, warning it risks escalating an already dire humanitarian crisis. In Queenstown, New Zealand, Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Christopher Luxon of New Zealand presented a united front on global instability during their annual bilateral talks, according to

ABC's

report. The two leaders signed a joint statement condemning Israel’s latest military intentions in Gaza, saying the move risked violating international law. “The latest action of Israel we’ve seen in the last 24 hours is wrong, and it actually risks violating international law,” Mr Luxon said at a joint press conference. Mr Albanese reiterated his government’s call for an immediate ceasefire, increased humanitarian aid to Palestinians, and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Mr Luxon embraces Anthony Albanese during the formal welcoming event. (AAP Image: Peter Meecham via ABC)

While the United Kingdom, France and Canada have signalled they may recognise a Palestinian state in September at a United Nations meeting, neither Australia nor New Zealand has set a timetable for such a decision. In Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty condemned Israel’s reported scheme to eventually take full control of Gaza as “an inadmissible plan.” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan went further, accusing Israel of trying to “de-Palestinize” the territory, reports African News. “We need to speak about this openly,” Mr Fidan said. “Israel’s objective is to transform Gaza into a place where Palestinians do not live, where it can settle its own permanent settlers.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told

Fox News

on Thursday that Israel would seek to control all of Gaza, starting with a military operation in Gaza City. Israeli media later reported that the country’s Security Cabinet had approved the move, though it stopped short of confirming a full territorial takeover. Ankara has called for unity among Muslim-majority nations over Gaza, while Egypt [along with Qatar and the United States] has been engaged for months in fruitless mediation between Israel and Hamas. In addition to Middle East concerns, the Albanese–Luxon talks also addressed China’s growing influence in the Pacific, defence cooperation, and shared commitments to regional stability. Mr Luxon said he hoped to see the Australian and New Zealand militaries operate “as one ANZAC force” in future operations, while Mr Albanese reaffirmed a joint pledge to lift defence spending to around 2 per cent of GDP. Both leaders also took time to promote tourism between their countries, underscoring that Australia and New Zealand remain each other’s largest visitor markets.

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