Israel To Double Army Reservists In Gaza To Boost Campaign

Israel’s military is calling up about 60,000 more reserve soldiers to join the war against Hamas in Gaza, a sign that preparations are underway for a stepped up offensive despite ongoing talks about a ceasefire.   

The fresh intake will join a further 20,000 serving reservists who will be ordered to extend their current deployment, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Wednesday. That will increase the number in or around Gaza to about 120,000, close to double the current figure, a military official told reporters earlier.  

The announcement comes even as Israel readies a response to a new truce proposal from mediators Qatar and Egypt, after Palestinian militant group Hamas said Monday it had agreed to the terms. An Israeli state official confirmed the new offer has been received, but provided no further detail. A security cabinet session has yet to be scheduled.  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this month approved a plan to extend the military’s ground campaign to Gaza City, the territory’s de-facto capital, having previously skirted the area out of concern for hostages the military believes are held there. The objective is to destroy Hamas’s remaining strongholds in Gaza after the most recent round of truce talks collapsed last month.  

The decision — which could further displace 1 million Palestinians — has been criticized by some of Netanyahu’s main European allies and many Israelis, with both groups saying the prime minister should seek a ceasefire immediately to help end a conflict that’s devastated Gaza. The United Nations World Food Program has warned of starvation affecting parts of the population. 

US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu’s closest ally, has signaled he backs Israel’s plans. 

The specifics of the escalated Gaza offensive will be finalized over coming days and brought to the security cabinet for approval, said the military official, who asked not to be identified going into details. The operation has effectively already started, the official said, with troops operating in Zeitoun and Jabalia on the outskirts of Gaza City. 

IDF troops will then start a new phase of combat, aiming to be gradual and targeted, according to the official. Israel will also facilitate a large-scale humanitarian plan to provide essentials for the population including food, shelter and field hospitals, the official said.  

Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and other governments, on Monday said it agreed to a new ceasefire plan involving the release of half of the 50 hostages it still holds from the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the conflict, of which 20 are believed to be alive. 

In return, Israel would free Palestinian prisoners and partially withdraw armed forces from Gaza. 

If Israel accepts the latest proposal — which follows many others that have been rejected by one side or the other over the 22 months of war — the Gaza City offensive would probably be put on hold or scrapped. 

Yet that would require a shift in position by Netanyahu and his coalition allies, who have recently said they no longer seek a phased deal but rather a comprehensive one to end the war. To do that, Israel demands Hamas disarm and be disbanded as a government force. 

More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas militants in the Oct. 7 attack, with 250 abducted.