ISTANBUL

North Korea on Tuesday denounced Israel’s plan to militarily invade and fully occupy the Gaza Strip, state media reported.

“A ‘decision’ of the Israeli Cabinet on the complete occupation of the Gaza Strip of Palestine is a clear act of violating international law,” a spokesperson from the Foreign Ministry told the Korean Central News Agency.

Pyongyang’s remarks came after Israel’s Security Cabinet on Friday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s phased plan to occupy Gaza in its entirety.

The spokesperson said this decision “plainly shows Israel's gangster-like intention to seize the internationally recognized territory of Palestine,” noting that the enclave is an inseparable part of the Palestinian territory.

Pyongyang “bitterly denounces and rejects Israel's criminal act of seizing territory, which aggravates the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and wantonly violates peace and stability in the Middle East region,” the official added.

“We strongly demand that Israel immediately stop the illegal armed attack on Palestinians and completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip.”

Israel is facing mounting condemnation for its genocidal war on Gaza, where it has killed nearly 61,600 victims since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his 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 for its war on the enclave.