Iran and Egypt have strongly condemned Israel’s “illegal and criminal” plans for the military occupation of Gaza City and the forced displacement of its residents.

In a phone conversation on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, expressed deep concern over the continuation of genocide in Gaza by the Israeli regime.

The two ministers stressed the importance of putting an immediate end to genocide against the Palestinian people and the need to dispatch humanitarian aid to the besieged Strip.

Araghchi said an emergency meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will be held in the Saudi city of Jeddah late in August at the request of the Islamic Republic and some other members to discuss the latest developments in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

He added that the Jeddah meeting will be an opportunity to coordinate positions and take practical steps to assist the oppressed Palestinian people and counter the Israeli regime’s warmongering policies, especially its so-called “Great Israel” plan to occupy territories of Muslim and Arab countries.

The top Egyptian diplomat also outlined the latest efforts of his country and Qatar to establish a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli regime on Wednesday began deploying its forces on the outskirts of Gaza City in preparation for implementing its scheme to occupy the Gaza Strip’s largest urban area.

The Israeli military reported the launch of the so-called “Operation Gideon Chariots II,” a sequel to a ferocious assault in May that saw the regime heavily escalate its October 2023-present war of genocide on the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian resistance force Hamas warned that Israel would fail to realize its ambitions.

Hamas also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was going ahead with carrying out the assault, although the movement had communicated its approval of a recent ceasefire proposal, devised by the United States and presented by Qatar and Egypt.