LONDON 

The first minister of Scotland on Thursday warned of the planned Israeli occupation of Gaza City, saying it "only intensifies" the ongoing genocide in the Palestinian enclave.

"(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide, and the ground invasion of Gaza City only intensifies it," John Swinney said on the US social media company X.

He said that the world "cannot look away" and stressed the need for "serious and urgent action" to put a stop to this.

"The UK Government must recall Parliament, sanction Israel, and end all arms sales now," he added.

Earlier this month, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to occupy Gaza City in the northern part of the enclave.

Prior to the Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said in an interview that Israel aims to fully occupy the Gaza Strip. Katz also approved the plan to occupy Gaza City on Tuesday.

According to the plan, around 1 million Palestinians will first be displaced to the south, while the city will be besieged and then occupied following heavy attacks.

On Aug. 18, Hamas announced that it had accepted a ceasefire and prisoner swap proposal presented by Egypt and Qatar, but Israel has yet to respond to the offer.

Israel has killed nearly 62,200 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for 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.