The UN Human Rights Council, the European Union, and the British government on Tuesday all condemned Israel’s launching of a major military offensive on Gaza City.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the city is one of Hamas’s last strongholds, and that more military pressure will drive the terror group to buckle and hand over the hostages it still holds.

The plan has drawn widespread opposition in Israel, however, both from army and security chiefs behind the scenes and publicly from Israelis who fear it will put the captives in immediate danger.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday: “I can only think of what it means for women, for malnourished children, for people with disabilities, if they are again attacked in this way. And I have to say the only response to this is: Stop the carnage.”

“Palestinians, Israelis scream for peace. Everyone wants an end to this, and what we see is a further escalation which is totally and utterly unacceptable,” he added. “I call on Israel to stop its wanton destruction of Gaza.”

Volk’s comments came after a UN Commission of Inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, incited it — accusations that Israel rejected as scandalous.

Asked if he would consider using the word “genocide” to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza, Turk said: “We see the piling up of war crime after war crime or crime against humanity, and potentially even more. I mean, it’s for the court to decide whether it’s genocide or not and we see the evidence mounting.”

EU: ‘Military intervention’ will worsen ‘catastrophic’ situation

The European Union warned that the ground assault on Gaza City will add to the toll of death and destruction, and worsen the already “catastrophic” humanitarian situation in the enclave.

“The EU has consistently urged Israel not to intensify its operation in Gaza City,” EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni said.

“A military intervention will lead to more destruction, more death and more displacement, and we have been clear that this will also aggravate the already catastrophic humanitarian situation and also endangers the lives of hostages,” he said.

Brussels is expected Wednesday to put forward proposals for a raft of measures against Israel over the war in Gaza.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said last week the proposals would include suspending the trade parts of a cooperation agreement and sanctioning “extremist” Israeli ministers. It will be very difficult to get the measures through, however, given deep divisions between the European Union’s 27 countries on the issue of the war.

UK: Gaza City offensive is ‘utterly reckless and appalling’

The British government, meanwhile, called the new offensive in Gaza City “utterly reckless and appalling.”

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper wrote on X that the assault “will only bring more bloodshed, kill more innocent civilians & endanger the remaining hostages.”

She added: “We need an immediate ceasefire, all hostages released, unrestricted humanitarian aid and a path to lasting peace.”

Israel has found itself increasingly isolated on the world stage, as the 23-month-old war grinds on in Gaza. The war started on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Terror groups in the Strip still hold 48 hostages, of whom only about 20 are believed to be alive.

Rubio: With start of new offensive, window for a deal is short

An exception to the those joining the global outcry has been Israel’s chief ally, the United States.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, departing Israel for Qatar on Tuesday  — during a trip to the region following Israel’s strike last week on Hamas leaders in Doha — told reporters the Gaza City offensive meant time was running out for a hostage deal.

“The Israelis have begun to take operations there,” he said. “So we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen. We don’t have months anymore, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks to go.”

“Our preference, our number one choice, is that this ends with a negotiated settlement where Hamas says, ‘We’re going to demilitarize, we’re no longer going to pose a threat, we’re going to disband, we’re going to release every single hostage,'” he said, condemning the terror group for the “barbaric practice” of taking civilian captives.

Monday night, US President Donald Trump said on social media he’d read a report that Hamas was moving hostages into Gaza City as human shields. “Don’t let this happen or, ALL ‘BETS’ ARE OFF. RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES NOW!” he wrote.