Israel calls up 60,000 reservists with invasion of Gaza's largest city imminent

Wales Online

10 hours ago

Israel calls up 60,000 reservists with invasion of Gaza's largest city imminent
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli military to prepare for a major ground assault on Gaza City, where almost half of the territory's displaced residents are now sheltering
Almost half of all people surviving in Gaza live in Gaza City
(Image: Getty)
Israel's military is preparing to launch a major ground offensive on Gaza City, with thousands of troops being positioned as part of "preliminary actions" to seize the densely populated civilian zone. 60,000 Israeli citizens have been mobilised for active service ahead of the substantial assault on Gaza's largest city, where nearly half of the territory's displaced population is currently taking refuge.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a security cabinet meeting this week (August 21) to secure approval for the military operation on Gaza City, where 70 per cent of all structures have sustained damage following repeated air strikes and a catastrophic siege in 2024.
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This cabinet session will not address the ceasefire agreement accepted by Hamas earlier this week, which Netanyahu has declined to discuss, according to Haaretz reporting. The Prime Minister's office stated instead: "Netanyahu has ordered the timetable for taking over the last terrorist strongholds and defeating Hamas."
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The estimated death toll in the territory now exceeds 62,000 during the 21 months of Israel's response to the October 7 terror attacks, when militant groups from Gaza killed 1200 Israeli soldiers and civilians, whilst taking 240 hostage. After months of food aid restrictions and with no conclusion to the conflict in sight, 266 Gazans have now perished from starvation, 122 of those who starved to death have been children according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Thousands of Israeli soldiers have begun deploying to areas near Gaza City ahead of a new offensive
(Image: Getty)
Hamas, reacting to Israel's preparations to seize and control Gaza City, declared the offensive "will fail, just as previous military operations have." Their spokesperson further stated that the assault "aims to destroy the remaining foundations of life in Gaza."
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The banned terror organisation continued: "Netanyahu's disregard for the mediators' proposal and his failure to respond to it proves that he is the true obstructionist of any agreement, that he does not care about the lives of [Israeli captives], and that he is not serious about their return."
IDF troops are already positioned close to the major city, with forces gathering in Jabalia and Zeitoun, where military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin cautioned: "We will deepen the damage to the terror infrastructure above and below the ground and sever the population's dependence on Hamas."
This proposed ground offensive will unfold in a city that has already been "reduced to dust," according to one local who spoke to Al Jazeera. "There is no form of life if we wish to return.
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"We can't find water or homes, we can't even live in tents."
Israel's armed forces have indicated they will instruct all civilians to leave Gaza City and move to humanitarian areas in the south, where many of the Palestinian territory's two million displaced people are already taking refuge.
In this section of Gaza, analysis by BBC Verify and other organisations has revealed Israeli bulldozers and controlled demolitions flattening districts that previously housed tens of thousands of residents.
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Numerous allies of Israel have criticised the proposed occupation of Gaza City, along with Prime Minister Netanyahu's strategy for military control of the entire Gaza Strip, which surfaced following the collapse of ceasefire negotiations last month.
France's President Macron declared on Wednesday that the offensive "can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war".