UK and four countries share joint statement criticising Israel's plan to take 'full control' of Gaza City

The foreign ministers of Britain, Australia, Germany, Italy and New Zealand said the move will "aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation" and risks "endangering the lives of hostages."

It comes after Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to take full control of Gaza City.

Early on Friday, the Israeli Prime Minister's office released a five-step plan detailing how it intends to end the fighting in Gaza by taking full control of the region.

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"The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones," the statement read, going on to detail Israel's "principles for ending the war."

"An absolute majority of Cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan presented to the Cabinet would not achieve the defeat of Hamas or the return of the abductees," the statement continued.

In response to the plan, the five allies said they “strongly reject" the decision.

"It will endanger the lives of the hostages and further risk the mass displacement of civilians.

"The plans that the government of Israel has announced risk violating international humanitarian law. Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law."

In a separate statement, Sir Keir Starmer said: "The Israeli Government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed.

"Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution. Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm.

"Together with our allies, we are working on a long-term plan to secure peace in the region as part of a two-state solution, and ultimately achieve a brighter future for Palestinians and Israelis.

"But without both sides engaging in good faith in negotiations, that prospect is vanishing before our eyes. Our message is clear: a diplomatic solution is possible, but both parties must step away from the path of destruction."

Israel’s five-step plan for Gaza is as follows:

• The disarmament of Hamas
• The return of all the hostages - both living and dead
• The demilitarisation of the Gaza territory
• Israeli security control of the Gaza territory
• The establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas or the Palestinian Authority

The decision has also been criticised by the families of hostages still trapped in Gaza.

On Thursday, almost two dozen relatives of hostages being held in Gaza set sail from southern Israel towards the maritime border with Gaza, where they broadcast messages from loudspeakers on boats to their relatives in Gaza.

The families denounced Mr Netanyahu's plan to expand military operations.

Yehuda Cohen, the father of Nimrod Cohen, an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza, said from the boat that Mr Netanyahu is prolonging the war to satisfy extremists in his government and to prevent it from collapsing.

"Netanyahu is working only for himself," he said, pleading with the international community to put pressure on Mr Netanyahu to stop the war and save his son.