An Israeli military spokesman says it has entered the first stage of a planned assault on Gaza City. Picture: Getty

By Flaminia Luck

Israel has entered the first stage of a planned assault on Gaza City, a spokesperson for the IDF has said.

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The Israeli military spokesperson claims to already have a hold on the outskirts of the city. Israel’s defence minister approved a plan to occupy Gaza City – displacing a million people who are expected to be moved into tents. Israel’s plan to expand its military offensive, which has already killed at least 60,000 people, to Gaza City has been widely condemned by its allies – but the Israeli government says its necessary to “remove Hamas”. Earlier, Israel confirmed plans to call up 60,000 reservists ahead of the offensive. Read more: Israel calls up 60,000 reservists ahead of Gaza City offensive Read more: Stark warning for Europe as expert says Russia’s war against Ukraine could spread across continent

An Israeli tank moves through an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel. Picture: Alamy

Palestinians living in the area migrate to the Al Mawasi district, the west part of the city with their belongings following the Israeli army’s evacuation warning. Picture: Alamy

The IDF claims to already have a hold on the outskirts of Gaza City. Picture: Getty

The UN warned the displacement of more Palestinians would have “horrific humanitarian impacts” for a population on the verge of mass hunger and famine. Earlier this month, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office released a five-step plan detailing how it intends to end the fighting in Gaza by taking full control of the region. “The IDF will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” the statement read, going on to detail Israel’s “principles for ending the war.” “An absolute majority of Cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan presented to the Cabinet would not achieve the defeat of Hamas or the return of the abductees,” the statement continued. It comes as Hamas reportedly agreed to the latest proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Israel. Egyptian and Qatari mediators had been holding talks with the militant group in their latest effort to broker a ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has entered the first stages of its planned assault on Gaza City after a clash with Hamas, and already has a hold on the outskirts of the city, Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin claimed on Wednesday in comments made to reporters.

It comes as Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz approved a plan to occupy Gaza City and authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists to carry it out, his ministry confirmed on Wednesday.

An Israeli military official said on Wednesday that the country’s top generals had approved plans to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza’s most densely populated areas.

The Israeli army killed at least 40 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since early Wednesday, including people waiting for aid.

Airstrikes targeted tents sheltering displaced families and homes in Al-Shati, Al-Zaytoun, and Al-Sabra, killing entire families and children. Eyewitnesses reported ongoing house demolitions and heavy explosions in Al-Zaytoun and Al-Sabra neighbourhoods.

Organizers say more than *** million Israeli protesters are demanding *** ceasefire deal with Hamas. They want to bring home the remaining 50 hostages. Planners say *** series of events yesterday included rallies in several cities, *** nationwide strike, and this massive protest in. Tel Aviv’s Hostage square. Actress Gal Gadot also is showing her support. I think pressure on the government is critically important. 20 Israeli hostages are believed to be alive as the Israeli government plans *** takeover of Gaza City. The Israeli government clearly has more. Focus on avenging the dead than it does on redeeming the living. Not that it’s not important to fundamentally erode and eviscerate Hamas’s military capacity. The protesters say continuing the war is futile. They say Hamas is too devastated to pose *** future threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he disagrees. He argues the demonstrations will harden Hamas’s stance. They also ensure that the Horrors of October 7 will be repeated and that we will be forced to fight an endless war. Critics argue the government is using the war to help it remain in power. The Israeli president echoes Netanyahu’s claim while striking *** more empathetic tone. I want to say to our brothers and sisters all over the world, we are together in this plight. We want the hostages back home. I’m Mimi Kley reporting.

Advertisement What to know about Israel’s Gaza offensive as 60,000 IDF reservists are to be mobilized Editorial Standards ⓘ

Israel’s military said Wednesday that it will call up tens of thousands of reservists and extend the service of others ahead of an expanded military operation it will carry out in Gaza City.Defense Minister Israel Katz approved plans to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza’s most densely populated areas, the military said. The plan, which is expected to receive the chief of staff’s final approval in the coming days, includes calling up 60,000 reservists and extending the service of 20,000 others who are currently serving.In a country of fewer than 10 million people, the call-up of so many reservists carries economic and political weight, and comes just days after hundreds of thousands of Israelis rallied for a ceasefire.It also comes as negotiators scramble to get Israel and Hamas to agree to end their 22 months of fighting, and as international leaders and rights groups warn that an expanded assault could deepen the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where most of its roughly 2 million residents have been displaced, many areas have been reduced to rubble, and the population faces the threat of famine.A military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said troops will operate in parts of Gaza City where they haven’t been deployed yet and where Israel believes Hamas is still active. Israeli troops in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City and Jabaliya, a refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, are already preparing the groundwork for the expanded operation.Gaza City is Hamas’ military and governing stronghold, and one of the last places of refuge in the northern Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands are sheltering. Israeli troops will be targeting Hamas’ vast underground tunnel network there, the official added.Although Israel has targeted and killed much of Hamas’ senior leadership, parts of the militant group are actively regrouping and carrying out attacks, including launching rockets toward Israel, the official said.Gaza City operation could begin within daysIt remains unclear when the operation will begin, but it could be a matter of days and the mobilization of reservists would be the largest in months.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the war’s objectives are to secure the release of remaining hostages and ensure that Hamas and other militants can never again threaten Israel. Hamas has previously said it would lay down arms if a Palestinian state were established with Jerusalem as its capital. The planned offensive, which was announced earlier this month, comes amid heightened international condemnation of Israel’s restrictions on food and medicine reaching Gaza and fears of another mass displacement among Palestinians.Associated Press journalists saw small groups heading south from the city this week, but it’s unclear how many others will flee. Some said they would wait to see how events unfold before moving yet again, with many insisting that nowhere is safe from airstrikes.“What we’re seeing in Gaza is nothing short of apocalyptic reality for children, for their families, and for this generation,” Ahmed Alhendawi, regional director of Save the Children, said in an interview. “The plight and the struggle of this generation of Gaza is beyond being described in words.”Exhausted reservists question the war’s goalsThe call-up comes as a growing campaign of exhausted reservists accuses the government of perpetuating the war for political reasons and failing to bring home the 50 remaining hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.The hostages’ families and former army and intelligence chiefs have also expressed opposition to the expanded operation in Gaza City. Most of the families want an immediate ceasefire and worry that an expanded assault could imperil securing the hostages’ release.Guy Poran, a retired air force pilot who has organized veterans campaigning to end the war, said many reservists are exhausted after repeated tours lasting hundreds of days and resentful of those who haven’t been called up at all. Most now just want to return to their lives.“Even those that are not ideologically against the current war or the government’s new plans don’t want to go because of fatigue or their families or their businesses,” he said.Hamas-led militants started the war when they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Hamas says it will only free the rest in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.Israel has yet to respond to a ceasefire proposalArab mediators and Hamas said this week that the militant group’s leaders had agreed to the terms of a proposed ceasefire, though similar announcements have been made in the past that didn’t lead to a lasting truce.Egypt and Qatar have said they have been waiting for Israel’s response to the proposal. “The ball is now in Israel’s court,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Bader Abdelattay said Tuesday.An Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media said Israel is in constant contact with the mediators in an effort to secure the hostages’ release.Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will oppose a deal that doesn’t include the “complete defeat of Hamas.”More than 62,122 people have been killed during Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Monday. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals and is part of the Hamas-run government. The ministry does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants, but it said women and children make up around half of them.In addition to that toll, 154 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since late June, when the ministry began counting such deaths, and 112 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began.Far-right Israeli minister shares more prison footageIsrael’s far-right national security minister on Wednesday released footage of Israeli prisons showing Palestinian inmates images of Gaza’s destruction.A video posted on Telegram by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shows him pointing to an image of Palestinians walking amid rubble and half-collapsed buildings, saying they were being shown to security prisoners.“So they understand that the people of Israel are not messing around,” he wrote.Ben-Gvir’s prison visit comes amid a string of provocative moves. It’s less than a week after he published a video of himself admonishing an imprisoned Palestinian leader in a face-to-face meeting inside a prison, saying Israel will confront anyone who acts against the country and “wipe them out.”Earlier this month, he visited and prayed at a sensitive site in Jerusalem holy to both Muslims and Jews, triggering regional condemnation and fears that the provocative move could further escalate tensions.Netanyahu’s government depends on backing from the far right, which opposes negotiations for a phased ceasefire in Gaza. Ben-Gvir said Monday that Netanyahu didn’t have a mandate to pursue such a truce.The far-right bloc nabbed a victory on Wednesday when Israel gave final approval for a controversial settlement project east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank. The development in what’s called E1 would effectively cut the territory in two, and Palestinians and rights groups say it could destroy hopes for a future Palestinian state.Israel says it killed a Hamas militant involved in a family’s abductionIsrael’s military said Wednesday that it killed a Hamas militant who stormed a kibbutz and abducted Yarden Bibas, a father of three whose wife and two young children were also kidnapped on Oct. 7.The Bibas family became one of Israel’s most closely followed hostage cases after body-camera footage of the mother and her young children being abducted was circulated widely in Israel and abroad. The three were later killed during the war, while Yarden Bibas was released.In a statement, Bibas called the killing of his alleged kidnapper “a small part of my closure” and said he was still awaiting the return of hostages held in Gaza.

Israel says it has taken first steps of military operation in Gaza City

NewReuters | Posted: August 20, 2025 6:44 PM | Last Updated: Just now

Israel’s military called up tens of thousands of reservists on Wednesday

Image | ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/GAZA Caption: An Israeli military convoy manoeuvres in Gaza as seen from the Israeli side of the border, Israel Aug. 20, 2025. (Amir Cohen/Reuters) Load image Open image in new tab (external link)

Israel’s military has taken the first steps of a planned operation to take over Gaza City, Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said on Wednesday.

Following a clash with Hamas south of Khan Younis in the strip on Wednesday, he said: “We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organization.”

Defrin said troops had already begun circling the outskirts of Gaza City and Hamas was now a “battered and bruised” guerrilla force.

“We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City,” he said.

Israel’s military called up tens of thousands of reservists on Wednesday in preparation for the expected assault on Gaza City, as the Israeli government considered a new proposal for a ceasefire after nearly two years of war.

The call-up signals Israel is pressing ahead with its plan to seize Gaza’s biggest urban centre despite international criticism of an operation likely to force the displacement of many more Palestinians.

But a military official briefing reporters said reserve soldiers would not report for duty until September, an interval that gives mediators some time to bridge gaps between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel over truce terms.

WATCH | Israel calls up 60,000 reservists for new Gaza offensive: Media Video | CBC News Network (Highlights) : Israel calls up 60,000 reservists for new Gaza offensive Caption: Israel’s military has called up tens of thousands of reservists in preparation for an expected assault on Gaza City, as the Israeli government considered a new proposal for a ceasefire after nearly two years of war. Open full embed in new tab (external link) Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages.

Israeli troops clashed on Wednesday with more than 15 Hamas militants who emerged from tunnel shafts and attacked with gunfire and anti-tank missiles near Khan Younis, south of Gaza City, severely wounding one soldier and lightly wounding two others, an Israeli military official said.

In a statement, Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades confirmed carrying out a raid on Israeli troops southeast of Khan Younis and engaging Israeli troops at point-blank range. It said one fighter blew himself up among the soldiers, causing casualties, during an attack that lasted several hours.

Israel has announced the call-up of about 60,000 reservists ahead of a planned ground offensive to capture and occupy Gaza City, despite mounting international warnings of a devastating humanitarian impact.

A military official said the reservists would report for duty in September, though most of the troops mobilised for the operation would be active-duty personnel. The official added that forces were already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas as part of the preparations for the plan, which Defence Minister Israel Katz approved on Tuesday and will be put before the security cabinet later this week.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the call-up was part of “the next phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots”, the offensive launched in May. Another 20,000 reservists already deployed would see their current orders extended, it said.

The official explained that senior commanders had approved a “gradual” and “precise” operation in and around Gaza City, which would involve five divisions. The chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, is expected to finalise the plan in the coming days.

Haaretz quoted Defence Minister Katz as saying: “Once the operation is completed, Gaza will change its face and will no longer look as it did in the past.” He reportedly also approved measures to “accommodate” Gaza City residents in the south of the territory, including al-Mawasi, where the IDF has begun setting up additional food distribution points and field hospitals.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the objectives are to secure the release of all hostages still held in Gaza and to “complete the defeat” of Hamas. Israeli officials stressed this week that they would no longer accept a partial hostage deal, after ceasefire negotiations broke down last month. Regional mediators have proposed a 60-day truce and the release of about half of the 50 remaining hostages, a deal Hamas said it accepted on Monday. Israel has yet to formally respond. Only 20 of the hostages are believed to be alive.

Meanwhile, the IDF said on Wednesday that the Givati Brigade had resumed operations in Jabalia and the outskirts of Gaza City, where it was “dismantling military infrastructures above and below ground, eliminating terrorists, and consolidating operational control”. Civilians were being told to move south for their safety “to mitigate the risk of harm”.

But Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence agency warned the situation was “very dangerous and unbearable”. Spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that “shelling continues intermittently” in Zeitoun and Sabra, while Wafa news agency reported that five people, including three children, were killed when their house in Shati refugee camp was bombed. The agency said 21 people were killed across Gaza on Wednesday.

UN agencies and NGOs condemned the planned offensive in a joint statement, warning: “The Israeli plan to intensify military operations in Gaza City will have a horrific humanitarian impact on people already exhausted, malnourished, bereaved, displaced, and deprived of basics needed for survival. Forcing hundreds of thousands to move south is a recipe for further disaster and could amount to forcible transfer.”

They cautioned that southern Gaza is already “overcrowded and ill-equipped to sustain human survival at scale”, with hospitals “operating at several times their capacity”.

The war began after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage. Since then, at least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. More than 90% of homes are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed, health and sanitation systems have collapsed, and UN-backed experts say famine is already unfolding.

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