Israel Mobilizes 60,000 Reservists Following Approval to Invade Gaza City

Share this @internewscast.com

On Wednesday, Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, sanctioned a plan to take over Gaza City and authorized the mobilization of approximately 60,000 reservists, intensifying pressure on Hamas amid evolving ceasefire discussions.

A military official briefing reporters noted that reserve soldiers would not be called to duty until September, providing mediators with an opportunity to address the differences between Hamas and Israel regarding ceasefire conditions.

According to the official, the new offensive plan in Gaza involves five divisions operating in the area, but the majority of reservists are not anticipated to engage in combat within Gaza City.

“We are transitioning to a new combat phase—an operation that will be gradual, precise, and targeted in and around Gaza City, which currently acts as the primary military and administrative hub for Hamas,” the official stated.

The call-up comes as a growing campaign of exhausted reservists is accusing the government of perpetuating the war for political reasons and failing to bring home the remaining hostages.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering in the city, and it holds some of the last remnants of critical infrastructure.

Israel demands release of all hostages after Hamas backs new truce offer

Earlier on Wednesday, a senior Israeli official said the government stands firm on its call for the release of all hostages in any future Gaza ceasefire deal, after Hamas accepted a new truce proposal.

Mediator Qatar expressed guarded optimism for the new proposal, noting it was “almost identical” to an earlier version agreed to by Israel.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior Israeli official told Agence France-Presse the government’s stance had not changed and demanded the release of all hostages in any deal.

Throughout the conflict, Israel and Hamas have engaged in sporadic indirect negotiations, leading to two brief truces during which Israeli hostages were released in return for Palestinian prisoners and those under administrative detention. However, a lasting ceasefire remains elusive.

Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have mediated the frequent rounds of shuttle diplomacy.

Egypt said it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel, adding “the ball is now in its court”.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said on Tuesday Hamas had given a “very positive response, and it truly was almost identical to what the Israeli side had previously agreed to”.

“We cannot make any claims that a breakthrough has been made. But we do believe it is a positive point,” he said.

Mounting pressure on Israel

According to a report in Egyptian state-linked outlet al-Qahera News, the latest deal proposes an initial 60-day truce, a partial hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and those held under administrative detention and provisions allowing for the entry of aid.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the plan, but said last week that his country would accept “an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war”.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on social media his group had “opened the door wide to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but the question remains whether Netanyahu will once again close it, as he has done in the past”.

Hamas’ acceptance of the proposal came as Netanyahu faced increasing pressure at home and abroad to end the war.

Out of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas’ attack in October 2023, which intensified the war, 49 are still in Gaza, with the Israeli military reporting that 27 of them are deceased.

‘Very dangerous and unbearable’

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported 48 people were killed in the last 24 hours by Israeli strikes and fire across the territory.

Agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP the situation was “very dangerous and unbearable” in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City, where he said “artillery shelling continues intermittently”.

The Israeli military did not provide details on troop movements, stating only that its operations aim to “dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities” while taking “feasible precautions to reduce civilian casualties”.

Sabra resident Hussein al-Dairi, 44, said “tanks are firing shells and mortars, and drones are firing bullets and missiles” in the neighbourhood.

“We heard on the news that Hamas had agreed to a truce, but the occupation is escalating the war against us, the civilians,” he said.

Around 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’ October 2023 attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s offensive since then has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to figures from the Gaza health ministry.