ISLAMABAD

Afghanistan’s interim Taliban administration on Saturday condemned Israel’s decision to fully reoccupy the Gaza Strip, calling it “a dangerous and alarming” step that would escalate the conflict and worsen the humanitarian crisis.

In a statement, the interim Foreign Ministry said the move would broaden the war and further harm the Palestinian people.

It urged “influential international actors, particularly the impactful states in the region, to fulfill their legal and moral obligations in this regard, to prevent the existing humanitarian crisis in Gaza from further worsening & becoming more deadly.”

Kabul said a ceasefire must be established as soon as possible and humanitarian assistance allowed into the enclave.

Separately, North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) criticized the US and Israel over the Gaza crisis, accusing them of pursuing policies aimed at the “extermination” of Palestinians.

KCNA described recent announcements by France, Britain, Canada, and other countries recognizing Palestine as a “significant change” and a break from a long-standing pro-Israel stance.

It claimed Western governments, under public pressure and international condemnation of Israel’s actions, can no longer blindly follow Washington and accused the US of blocking Palestine’s UN membership and inciting Israeli “genocide” in Gaza.

“The United States’ continued veto over the issue of Palestine’s acquisition of full membership in the United Nations and its aggressive insistence that financial spending to the UN should be stopped if Palestine is granted the same rights as other member states, thereby inciting Israel to genocide, is causing public outrage,” KCNA said.

Early Friday, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to fully occupy Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza, now in the second year of genocide in Gaza, has killed more than 61,000 people since October 2023, devastated the enclave, and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.