German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has told Israel that a military offensive in the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip would be wrong.

"Taking action now in Rafah, the last and most overcrowded place, as announced by the Israeli defense minister, would simply not be justifiable," the Green Party politician told the RND media organization in remarks published on Saturday. 

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the Israeli military was planning to expand operations into the Rafah area.

The paper quoted Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant as saying the IDF would reach the Hamas brigade in Rafah and smash it. Baerbock said she had been shocked to hear of the plans.

"The majority of the victims are women and children. Let's just imagine they are our children," Baerbock told the RND. "Together with our American partners, I have been making it clear to the Israeli government for some time that the people in Gaza cannot disappear into thin air."