The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting in New York on Sunday after Israel’s security cabinet endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand ground operations and assume military control of Gaza City. Fourteen of the Council’s 15 members denounced the proposed takeover as a “dangerous escalation” and urged Israel to reverse course, diplomats said. The session ended without a draft resolution after the United States signalled it would oppose any formal censure. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the operation could deepen Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 61,000 people have been killed since October 2023 and 217 have died from hunger, while the UN humanitarian office says over 500 aid workers have lost their lives. International fallout is widening. Germany has halted arms exports that could be used in Gaza, and the United Kingdom, France, Slovenia, Denmark and Greece led calls for Sunday’s meeting. Hamas said an assault on Gaza City would amount to “sacrificing” the roughly 49 Israeli hostages it is still holding. Israeli media report growing friction between the government and senior military commanders, some of whom warn that occupying the densely populated city could trap the army in a prolonged insurgency and saddle it with responsibility for civilian welfare.