Israel Approves Gaza City Offensive Plan, Calls Up 60,000 Reservists
Katz also authorized the call-up of nearly 60,000 reservists and extended service for others for the fighting in Gaza. 'As part of the next phase of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots', ~60,000 reserve orders were issued this morning, and 20,000 reservists had their service extended,' the Israeli military said in a statement.
A military official told Reuters that the reservists would report for duty in September, adding that the expanded offensive in Gaza would include five divisions and that most reservists would not take place in the Gaza City operation.
Earlier this month, the Israeli security cabinet approved a plan to expand the offensive in Gaza, including occupying Gaza City. As a result, the Israeli military has intensified its air strikes and ground operations in Gaza, preparing for a 'prolonged operation of several months that will run into 2026,' according to Israeli army radio.
Moreover, the Israeli military announced it would start relocating Gaza residents to the south of the enclave, intensified operations in Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, and started to concentrate its firepower on nearby Sabra, reported AFP.
'We will be moving into a new phase of combat, a gradual, precise and targeted operation in and around Gaza City,' a military official told reporters. He confirmed that the Israeli military had already begun operating in the neighborhoods of Zeitoun and Jabalia as part of the initial stages.
The move comes as Hamas agreed to a new ceasefire proposal by mediators Egypt and Qatar, while Israel has not submitted its formal response, with officials suggesting Tel Aviv will only accept a deal that releases all hostages at once.
Short link :
Post Views: 34
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Israeli military pounds Gaza City as offensive enters initial phase
In this episode of W News, presented by Leigh-Ann Gerrans, we bring you the latest global headlines, starting with Gaza, where Israel pounded Gaza City and surrounding areas overnight as the military announced it had begun the initial phase of its push to seize Hamas' last major stronghold.
Saudi Gazette
5 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Palestinians flee Gaza City districts as Israel says first stages of offensive have begun
GAZA — Palestinians are fleeing parts of Gaza City after the Israeli military began the first stages of a planned ground offensive, officials in the city say. Israel's troops have established a foothold on the outskirts of the city — which is home to more than a million Palestinians — after days of intense bombing and artillery fire. It has prompted UN Secretary General António Guterres to renew calls for an immediate ceasefire "to avoid the death and destruction" an assault would "inevitably cause". Israel wants to signal that it is pressing ahead with its plan to capture all of Gaza City despite international criticism. Hundreds of Palestinians in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City have left toward the north-western part of the city. Gaza City residents described relentless bombardments overnight into Thursday. "The house shakes with us all night long -- the sound of explosions, artillery, warplanes, ambulances, and cries for help is killing us," Ahmad al-Shanti told news agency AFP. "The sound is getting closer, but where would we go?" Amal Abdel-Aal was displaced from her home in Sabra a week ago and said she watched strikes hit the area. "No one in Gaza has slept, not last night, not for a week. The artillery and air strikes in the east never stop. The sky flashes all night long," she said. An Israeli military spokesman said on Wednesday that troops were already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas to lay the groundwork for the offensive, which Defence Minister Israel Katz approved on Tuesday and which will be put to the security cabinet later this week. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is "shortening the timelines" for seizing what he described as "the last terror strongholds" in Gaza. In a statement, Hamas accused the Israeli leader of continuing a "brutal war against innocent civilians in Gaza City" and criticised what it said was his "disregard" for a new ceasefire proposal from regional mediators. Israel has yet to formally respond to the plan. About 60,000 Israeli reservists are being called up for the beginning of September to free up active-duty personnel for the operation. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City are expected to be ordered to evacuate and head to southern Gaza. Many of Israel's allies have condemned its plan, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning on Wednesday that it "can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war". The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) meanwhile said further displacement and an intensification of hostilities "risk worsening an already catastrophic situation" for Gaza's 2.1 million population. Israel's government announced its intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month. Speaking at a televised briefing on Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said Hamas was "battered and bruised" after 22 months of war. "We will deepen the damage to Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organisation," he added. "We will deepen the damage to the terror infrastructure above and below the ground and sever the population's dependence on Hamas." But Defrin said the IDF was "not waiting" to begin the operation. "We have begun the preliminary actions, and already now, IDF troops are holding the outskirts of Gaza City." Two brigades were operating on the ground in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, where in recent days they had located an underground tunnel that contained weapons, and a third brigade was operating in the Jabalia area, he added. The civil defence agency reported that Israeli strikes and fire had killed 25 people across the territory on Wednesday. They included three children and their parents whose home in the Badr area of Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, was bombed, it said. Defrin said the IDF was also doing everything possible to prevent harm to the 50 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Their families have expressed fears that those in Gaza City could be endangered by a ground offensive. The ICRC warned of a catastrophic situation for both Palestinian civilians and the hostages if military activity in Gaza intensified. "After months of relentless hostilities and repeated displacement, the people in Gaza are utterly exhausted. What they need is not more pressure, but relief. Not more fear, but a chance to breathe. They must have access to the essentials to live in dignity: food, medical and hygiene supplies, clean water, and safe shelter," a statement said. "Any further intensification of military operations will only deepen the suffering, tear more families apart, and threaten an irreversible humanitarian crisis. The lives of hostages may also be put at risk," it added. It called for an immediate ceasefire and the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance across Gaza. The UN secretary general also called for the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas. Mediators Qatar and Egypt are trying to secure a ceasefire deal and have presented a new proposal for a 60-day truce and the release of around half of the hostages, which Hamas said it had accepted on Monday. Israel has not yet submitted a formal response, but Israeli officials insisted on Tuesday that they would no longer accept a partial deal and demanded a comprehensive one that would see all the hostages released. On Wednesday Hamas accused Netanyahu of disregarding the mediators' ceasefire proposal and said he was the "real obstructionist of any agreement", according to a statement cited by Reuters. The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry. The ministry's figures are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties. — BBC
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Azerbaijan sounds the alarm over shallowing of Caspian Sea
BAKU: Rapid falls in the level of the Caspian Sea are affecting ports and oil shipments and threatening to inflict catastrophic damage on sturgeon and seal populations, according to Azerbaijani officials. The Caspian, the world's largest salt lake, holds significant offshore oil reserves and is bordered by five countries that are all major producers of oil or gas or both: Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. Azerbaijan's Deputy Ecology Minister Rauf Hajjiyev told Reuters that the sea had been getting shallower for decades, but figures showed that the trend was accelerating. Its level has fallen by 0.93 meters (3 ft) in the past five years, by 1.5 meters in the last 10, and 2.5 meters in the past 30, he said in an interview, estimating the current rate of decline at 20-30 cm per year. 'The retreat of the coastline changes natural conditions, disrupts economic activity and creates new challenges for sustainable development,' said Hajjiyev, who represents Azerbaijan in a joint working group with Russia that met for the first time in April to discuss the problem. Despite worsening relations between the two countries, according to the protocol signed between the two countries the working group plans to approve a joint program online in September for monitoring and responding to the issue. Russia links the problem mainly to climate change but Azerbaijan also blames Russia's construction of dams on the Volga River which provides 80 percent of the water entering the Caspian. Hajjiyev said the falling water level was already affecting the lives of coastal populations and the work of ports. About 4 million people live on the coast of Azerbaijan, and about 15 million in the Caspian region as a whole. He said ships are facing increased difficulties when entering and manoeuvring in the port of Baku, Azerbaijan's capital. This is reducing cargo capacity and raising logistics costs, he added. REDUCED OIL CARGOES Transportation of oil and oil products through the Dubendi oil terminal, the largest in the Azerbaijani waters of the Caspian Sea, fell to 810,000 tons in the first half of 2025 from 880,000 in the same period of last year, according to Eldar Salakhov, director of the Baku International Sea Port. He linked the decline to the falling water level, which he said was making it necessary to carry out major dredging work to ensure stable and uninterrupted port operations. In 2024, more than 250,000 cubic meters of dredging were carried out at the Dubendi oil terminal to ensure that the largest tankers could enter without restrictions, he told Reuters. In April, the Baku Shipyard finished building a new dredging vessel, the Engineer Soltan Kazimov, which is due to enter service shortly. Salakhov said it would be able to deepen the bottom to 18 meters in order to help maintain the port's capacity. THREAT TO FISH AND SEALS Hajjiyev, the deputy minister, said the retreat of the waters was destroying wetlands, lagoons, and reed beds and threatening the survival of some marine species. The biggest blow is to sturgeon, prized for their caviar, which are already under threat of extinction. They are losing up to 45 percent of their summer and autumn habitats and being cut off from their traditional spawning grounds in rivers. Caspian seals are also threatened by the shrinking sea area and disappearance of seasonal ice fields in the north, where they breed, he added. 'With a 5-meter drop in the sea level, seals lose up to 81 percent of their breeding sites, and with a 10-meter drop, they are almost completely deprived of suitable sites,' Hajjiyev said.
