Israel drew international condemnation over its plans for an expanded Gaza offensive, as the country’s far-right finance minister has called for the Palestinian territory to be “destroyed”, AFP reports.

Israel’s military had called up tens of thousands of reservists for its planned expanded offensive in the Gaza Strip, which an official said would entail the “conquest” of the Palestinian territory.

European Union top diplomat Kaja Kallas has told her Israeli counterpart in a call that the situation was “untenable”, urging the resumption of the flow of aid to Gaza, where famine looms.

China said it opposed Israel’s military actions and was “highly concerned” by plans for a broader assault. Beijing also called on Israel and Hamas to “effectively implement” the terms of a ceasefire which fell apart on March 18.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Paris “very strongly” condemned Israel’s planned offensive, calling it “unacceptable” and adding that its government was “in violation of humanitarian law”. Britain’s Middle East minister Hamish Falconer said London opposed the expansion of Israel’s operations, adding that “any attempt to annex land in Gaza would be unacceptable”.

Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced “considerable concern” and said he would send his foreign minister to Israel this weekend.