Latvia does not support Israel's decision to expand its military operation in the Gaza Strip - Foreign Ministry

RIGA - Latvia does not support Israel's decision to expand its military operation in the Gaza Strip and calls for its review, the Foreign Ministry's (MFA) press secretary Diana Eglite told LETA.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed on Friday that the Israeli security cabinet has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City.

This was followed by critical statements from several European leaders. For example, the President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, called on the Israeli government to reconsider its decision to expand the war into the Gaza Strip. "The Israeli government's decision to further expand its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered," urged Leyen on social media, calling for "immediate and unimpeded" humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages still held captive by Hamas.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also urged Israel to reconsider its plan to take control of Gaza City as "this action will do nothing to end the conflict or contribute to achieving the release of the hostages" but will only "lead to more bloodshed". For his part, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany would stop exporting arms to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, representatives of Latvian parties mostly avoided giving an assessment of the Israeli leadership's decision on Friday, mainly on the pretext that they lacked information about it. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics also chose not to comment on the issue, instead his adviser Martins Dregeris called to raise this issue with the Foreign Ministry.

The Foreign Ministry formulated its position on Friday evening, stating that Latvia does not support Israel's decision to expand its military operation in the Gaza Strip, as it does not contribute to the resolution of the conflict, may lead to further escalation of the situation and prolong human suffering on both sides of the conflict.

The Foreign Ministry stresses that Latvia supports Israel's right to self-defense and believes that the Hamas militant group must immediately release all hostages and lay down their arms and relinquish power in Gaza.

The Latvian MFA stresses that the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the risk of widespread famine, and the high number of Palestinian casualties are "deeply worrying". Latvia also believes that humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza should be increased.

"Regarding the future of the Gaza Strip, Latvia supports a peaceful two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law, in particular the UN Security Council resolution of 2024," the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

The AFP news agency reports that Israel's security cabinet has approved a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military to "take control" of Gaza City, his office said in a statement Friday.

Under the plan to "defeat" Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army "will prepare to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones", it said.

Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister faces mounting pressure at home and abroad for a truce to pull the Palestinian territory's more than two million people back from the brink of famine and to spare hostages held by Palestinian militants.

As he convened his security cabinet on Thursday, Netanyahu said Israel planned to take full control of Gaza but did not intend to govern it.

Ahead of the meeting, Netanyahu told US network Fox News that the government intended to seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, where the military has been fighting Hamas since the Palestinian group's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

He added that Israel did not want "to keep" the Gaza Strip, which Israel occupied in 1967 but withdrew troops and settlers from in 2005.

Netanyahu said Israel wanted a "security perimeter" and to hand the Palestinian territory to "Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life."