Israel's decision to take over Gaza City may trigger another calamity in Gaza, a senior United Nations official said during an emergency session of the Security Council on Sunday, as delegates warned that this escalation will uproot a million people and exacerbate an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Miroslav Jenca, UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for "defeating Hamas" includes the disarmament of Hamas, the release of all hostages, the Gaza Strip's demilitarization, Israeli security control over the strip, and the establishment of an alternative civilian administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will also prepare to take control of Gaza City, while providing humanitarian assistance outside combat zones.

"This is yet another dangerous escalation of the conflict," he warned, adding that Israel foresees the displacement of all civilians from Gaza City by October 7, affecting some 800,000 people, many of them previously displaced. Reports indicate that the IDF would then surround the city for three months. This would then reportedly be followed by an additional two months to seize control of central Gaza's camps and clear the entire area of Palestinian armed groups.

"If these (Israeli) plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings and destruction, compounding the unbearable suffering of the population."

"The UN has been unequivocal: the only way to stop the immense human suffering in Gaza is through a full, immediate and permanent ceasefire," he said.

"There will be no sustainable solution without an end to Israel's unlawful occupation and the achievement of a viable two-state solution. Gaza is, and must remain, an integral part of a Palestinian state."

Sunday's meeting, called for by Britain, Denmark, France, Greece and Slovenia, did not place a resolution on the table, a measure that the United States has used its veto power to block five times previously, and only saw condemnation of Israel's plans for Gaza City.

Despite the UN opposition, Netanyahu told the press on Sunday that his plan to seize control of Gaza City and the remaining sliver of Gaza not already under Israeli control will involve displacing the population and taking control of the entire Gaza Strip.

"This is the best way to end the war and the best way to end it speedily," he said in his first public comments since Israel's Security Cabinet approved the plan.

Global condemnation

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called Israel's decision a "complete crime that represents a continuation of the policy of genocide, systematic killing, starvation and siege, and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and UN resolutions."

On Sunday, foreign affairs ministers from Spain, Portugal, Norway and other European countries signed a joint letter bashing Israel's plan, saying it would worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, endanger the remaining hostages and "lead to an unacceptable high toll of deaths and the forced displacement of nearly 1 million Palestinian civilians."

Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey also condemned Israel's plan, while announced on August 8 that it will stop exporting military equipment to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking at the Security Council meeting, the UK deputy permanent representative to the UN said Israel's plan is path to more bloodshed.

The head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, questioned how people are expected to survive in Gaza under current conditions.

"The humanitarian system has effectively collapsed," he said. "Hospitals are not protected, doctors have been killed or detained, and facilities are working without sufficient medical supplies."

China's permanent representative to the UN Fu Cong voiced strong opposition to the Israel's plan. Calling the "collective punishment" of people in Gaza unacceptable, Fu urged the international community to take all necessary measures before a greater disaster occurs.

Fu also stressed that implementing the two-state solution is the only viable way to resolve the Palestinian issue and achieve peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel. The international community should put its efforts to advance the political process of the two-state solution.

(With input from Xinhua and AFP)