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Israel is preparing to launch an expanded military operation in Gaza City within days, even as ceasefire talks continue in Cairo aimed at ending 22 months of war, the Associated Press reported.
The Israeli military said Wednesday that Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has approved plans for a new phase of operations in some of Gaza’s most densely populated neighbourhoods. As part of the build-up, Israel will call up 60,000 reservists and extend the service of another 20,000 currently deployed.
A senior military official, as per AP, said Israeli forces are already operating in Gaza City’s Zeitoun and Jabaliya districts to lay the groundwork for the wider assault. The offensive, the official said, would target Hamas’ extensive underground tunnel network in areas where militants are believed to remain active.
Although Israel has killed much of Hamas’ senior leadership, elements of the group have regrouped and continue to launch rocket attacks, the official said. Gaza City — Hamas’ main military and governing stronghold — has become the focus of the planned campaign.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel’s war aims are twofold: to ensure Hamas and other militants can never again threaten Israel, and to secure the release of the remaining hostages. On August 9, he said the operation would extend across parts of Gaza City and the central refugee camps.
The announcement has fuelled international condemnation and fears of further mass displacement among Palestinians. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are currently sheltering in Gaza City, one of the last areas with fragments of functioning infrastructure.
Reports say journalists saw small groups leaving the city in recent days, though many residents said they were waiting to see what happens before uprooting themselves again. Others insisted nowhere in Gaza feels safe from airstrikes.
The mobilisation comes amid growing criticism at home, a campaign of weary reservists has accused the government of prolonging the war for political reasons and failing to prioritise the return of hostages. Families of the hostages, along with former senior military and intelligence officials, have opposed the planned operation.
Most of the hostage families demand an immediate ceasefire, warning that an expanded assault could endanger the roughly 50 hostages still held in Gaza. Israel believes only 20 of them are alive.
Mediation efforts continue in Cairo, where Hamas negotiators this week signalled acceptance of ceasefire terms. But similar announcements in the past have not led to a truce. An Israeli official, also speaking anonymously, told AP that Israel remains in “constant contact” with mediators about securing hostage releases.
Netanyahu has insisted he will oppose any deal that does not include the “complete defeat of Hamas.”
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 62,000 people have been killed since Israel launched its offensive following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and abducted 251. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, says women and children make up around half the fatalities, though it does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The ministry also reported that 154 adults and 112 children have died from malnutrition-related causes during the war. Human rights groups warn the humanitarian crisis could worsen as famine looms over much of the enclave, where vast neighbourhoods lie in ruins and nearly all residents have been displaced.
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