The Guardian / August 21, 2025
The Israeli military has announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City and said it was calling up an extra 60,000 reservists for the offensive.
It came as the government considered a new ceasefire proposal that Hamas has agreed on to pause the war and, separately, Israel approved a huge new illegal settlement in the West Bank.
Military spokesperson Effie Defrin said on Wednesday the Israel Defense Forces had “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”.
Israeli troops clashed with Hamas fighters in Gaza on Wednesday and Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said later that the prime minister had sped up the timeline for taking control of Hamas strongholds and defeating the militant group.
UN secretary general António Guterres on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, saying it was necessary “to avoid the death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause”.
Israel attacks Gaza City overnight, say residents, as defence ministry approves expanded offensive
Israel hammered Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, residents said Thursday, after the defence ministry approved an expanded offensive to target the remaining Hamas strongholds in the strip.
The newly approved plan authorises the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, deepening fears the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.
“We are not waiting. We have begun the preliminary actions, and already now, IDF (army) troops are holding the outskirts of Gaza City,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Israel’s plans to expand the fighting and take control of Gaza City have sparked international outcry as well as domestic opposition.
Ahead of the offensive, the Israeli military said the call-up of the reservists would begin in early September.
Gaza City residents described relentless bombardments overnight.
“The house shakes with us all night long – the sound of explosions, artillery, warplanes, ambulances, and cries for help is killing us,” one of them, Ahmad al-Shanti, told AFP.
“The sound is getting closer, but where would we go?”.
