The United Nations on Friday called for Israel's plan to take over Gaza City to be "immediately halted".

Israel said early Friday it plans to take over the city in another escalation of its 22-month war with Hamas.

The decision, made after a late-night meeting of top officials, drew Palestinian rejection, fueled mounting international calls to end the war and provoked worries in Israel over the fate of hostages still held by Hamas.

"The Israeli Government’s plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted," Liz Throssell, a spokesman for U.N Human Rights chief Volker Türk, said.

"The war in Gaza must end now," she added.

Israel’s air and ground war has already killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine.

Another major ground operation would almost certainly exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe.

Israel has repeatedly bombarded Gaza City and carried out numerous raids there, only to return to different neighborhoods again and again as militants regrouped.

Today, it is one of the few areas in Gaza that hasn’t been turned into an Israeli buffer zone or placed under evacuation orders.

A major ground operation there could displace tens of thousands of people and further disrupt efforts to deliver food to the hunger-stricken territory.

Throssell also said that the hostages should be "immediately and unconditionally released" by Palestinian armed groups, and that "Palestinians arbitrarily detained by Israel must also be immediately and unconditionally released."

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 in the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war.

Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals but 50 remain inside Gaza. Israel believes around 20 of them to be alive.

Israel’s military offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals.

The United Nations and independent experts view the ministry’s figures as the most reliable estimate of casualties. Israel has disputed them without offering a toll of its own.