Israel Calls Up 60,000 Reservists as Gaza City Assault Intensifies
Israel has approved a plan to call up around 60,000 reservists, raising fears that the ongoing campaign could further worsen the already devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“We are not waiting. Preliminary actions have already begun, and our troops are now holding the outskirts of Gaza City,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
The move to expand the offensive and seize control of Gaza City has drawn sharp criticism both internationally and within Israel. The military announced that the reservist call-up would start in early September.
Residents of Gaza City described relentless bombardments overnight.
“The house shakes all night long — explosions, artillery, warplanes, ambulances, and cries for help are killing us,” Ahmad al-Shanti told AFP. “The sound is getting closer, but where would we go?”
Amal Abdel-Aal, displaced from her home in Gaza City’s Al-Sabra neighborhood a week ago, recounted the ongoing air strikes. “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.
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence agency, said air strikes and artillery fire overnight targeted areas northwest and southeast of Gaza City.
Late Thursday, Israel detailed a series of operations across the Gaza Strip in recent weeks, saying these manoeuvres “created the conditions” to intensify pressure on Hamas and prepare for the next stages of the campaign.
As Israel tightened its hold on Gaza City’s outskirts, mediators continued to wait for an official Israeli response to a ceasefire proposal that Hamas accepted earlier this week.
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