Israel to call up 60,000 reservists as Gaza City takeover nears

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has authorized the call-up of around 60,000 more reservists for the capture of the city of Gaza, his office announced on Wednesday.

The reserve service of around 20,000 other soldiers is also to be extended. The news came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that Gaza City be captured more quickly than previously planned.

The "timeline for conquering the last terrorist strongholds and defeating Hamas" should be shortened, his office said, without giving details.

Army spokesman Effie Defrin said it has started "preliminary actions" to take control of Gaza City, with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops already occupying the outskirts.

"The IDF has begun the next phase of the war," Defrin said.

The capture of Gaza City should primarily involve active soldiers, a another military representative said.

With the new deployments, the total number of reservists in the Gaza Strip will reach up to 130,000, according to Israeli media reports.

Civilian population to flee offensive

Observers fear that the offensive will exacerbate the already catastrophic conditions for the civilian population in the sealed-off Gaza Strip, where around 2 million Palestinians live.

According to the Israeli military plan, the civilians in the city of Gaza - estimated at around 1 million people - are to move to tent quarters further south in the coastal strip.

A military representative said that medical aid and food supplies would be provided there. The military firmly rejects repeated accusations by international aid organizations that Israel is systematically blocking supplies to the civilian population.

No Israeli response yet on ceasefire

Katz had approved the operational plan to capture Gaza City late on Tuesday, according to media reports.

This was despite the fact the Palestinian Islamist Hamas organization claimed it had given international mediators a "positive response" to a new ceasefire proposal for the Gaza Strip on Monday.

An official Israeli response to the proposal is expected by the end of the week, with the Security Cabinet reported to be meeting on Thursday.

The latest proposal for a ceasefire is an updated version of the previously negotiated proposal by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to media reports. This envisages a 60-day ceasefire during which 10 living hostages would be released in return for Palestinian prisoners.

There are still a total of 50 hostages in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

There has been speculation that the Security Cabinet's decision to extend the war could be a negotiating tactic to put pressure on Hamas to return to the negotiating table and show more flexibility.

Gaza City remains Hamas' most important stronghold, the Israeli military representative said, noting that the Islamist group still possessed "operational capabilities" and was capable of engaging in "guerrilla warfare."

The operation also aimed to destroy Hamas' underground tunnel system, he said.

Palestinian militants attack Israeli soldiers

More than 15 armed Palestinians emerged from tunnel shafts to attack a military position in the south of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Israeli military reported.

The attackers fired on Israeli soldiers and used anti-tank missiles in the area of Khan Younis, a military official said. Several of them infiltrated the military post.

The troops returned fire, backed by airstrikes, and killed 10 of the attackers. Israeli media reported that they had intended to abduct soldiers.

Three soldiers were injured, one of them seriously, the military said. The incident was still ongoing, with the army stating that "the troops are operating to locate and eliminate the terrorists."

The military wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

"The al-Qassam Brigades affirm that such operations will continue until the occupation ends and our people gain freedom," Hamas added in a further statement.