Jerusalem, May 4 (IANS) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have said that it issued call-up orders to tens of thousands of reservists in preparation for an escalation of its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security consultation on Saturday in which he reviewed the planned offensive, which will require substantial mobilisation, according to Channel 12, Ynet, Kan and others.
During a security briefing on Friday, the IDF outlined its expanded operational plans in Gaza to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Xinhua news agency reported.
At the same time, the IDF is gearing up to oversee the resumption of aid delivery into the Strip under stricter supervision.
As the blockade on aid has passed the two-month mark, international organisations are warning of dire humanitarian conditions in the Strip.
Channel 12 said the plans to expand the offensive are not final, as Israel wants to give more time for hostage negotiations. The network said a new offensive is unlikely before US President Donald Trump’s trip to the region from May 13 to 16 (the US leader is expected in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, but not Israel).
The security cabinet is expected to meet on Sunday to vote on formally approving the plans, which Netanyahu has already greenlit.
Israeli media reported that the stated objective of the current campaign is to increase pressure on Hamas to agree to a hostage release deal, rather than to eliminate the Palestinian military group.
Israeli authorities have consistently cautioned that if no agreement is reached soon, a full-scale assault aimed at dismantling Hamas could begin.
The forthcoming phase of the offensive will include IDF activity in additional areas of the Gaza Strip.
According to the IDF, the reservists being called up Saturday evening are expected to report for duty starting next week.
Many of them have likely been mobilised multiple times for the conflict.
Fighting has been ongoing for the past month-and-a-half since the breakdown of a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas.
The terror group has demanded that any new agreement lead to a permanent ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, in exchange for the release of the remaining living hostages, as envisioned in the previous deal.
Netanyahu has rejected this trade, saying Hamas cannot remain in power in the enclave.
Arabic media reported on Friday that Israel had rejected an Egyptian proposal for a temporary ceasefire, leading Netanyahu’s office to issue a swift denial.
Since the first phase of the deal concluded on March 1, Israel has blocked any aid from entering Gaza, asserting that enough had gone in to feed the population of two million for an extended period and that Hamas was diverting aid for its fighters.
But with that blockade now entering its third month, humanitarian groups on Friday described scenes of starvation and fights over water in Gaza, warning that aid operations are on the brink of total collapse.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said on Thursday that at least 2,326 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,418.
–IANS
int/khz
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