Israel’s military has called up an additional 60,000 reservists to serve for the next phase of the war against Hamas, which will see the army march into Gaza City.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz approved the preparation orders on Wednesday to bolster the IDF with tens of thousands of troops, with 20,000 active troops seeing their service orders extended as well.
The new troops will directly serve in the military occupation of Gaza City, including neighborhoods that the soldiers have stayed out of during the more than 21 months of fighting, a military official told the Associated Press.
Israeli troops in the Zeitoun neighborhood are already reportedly preparing the groundwork for the expanded operation in the city, where the IDF believes Hamas still has active battalions.
Despite killing more than 20,000 Hamas fighters by the end of 2024, the terror group has continually regrouped, with the militants carrying out attacks, including rocket fire, from Gaza City, according to Israeli officials.
The goal of the operation in Gaza City is to eliminate Hamas infrastructure, including the rocket firing stations and the entrances to its vast underground tunnel network, the AP source added.
Gaza City, however, is also where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees are currently sheltering amid the fighting in the north.
It remains unclear when the operation to take Gaza City will take place, but the order is only waiting on approval from the IDF chief of staff, which is expected in the coming days.
The calls to bolster the IDF’s army have raised questions about Israel’s ability to prolong the war effort in Gaza, with local experts and veterans fearing that many in the Jewish state are already exhausted after completing repeated tours of duty with no end to the war in sight.
Guy Poran, a retired air force pilot who joined protesters to call for an end to the war, has said many reservists are tired and even resentful of those who have yet to be called to fight.
Israel is also seeing a mass strike that began on Sunday, with tens of thousands protesting the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to demand an end to the war.
Since the news of the looming offensive broke earlier this month, some Palestinians have already begun evacuating the city for the south, while others are waiting as they fear nowhere is safe from the constant Israeli bombardments across the Strip.
“What we’re seeing in Gaza is nothing short of apocalyptic reality for children, for their families, and for this generation,” Ahmed Alhendawi, regional director of Save the Children, said of the situation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that military force is the best way to pressure Hamas to surrender and free the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza.
With Post wires