Israel calls up 60,000 reservists in readiness to begin invasion of Gaza City

Israel's military is poised to begin a major ground assault on Gaza City, with thousands of soldiers being deployed as part of "preliminary actions" to occupy the heavily populated civilian area. 60,000 Israeli citizens have been called to active duty ahead of the major offensive on Gaza's largest city, where almost half of the territory's displaced residents are now sheltering.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will call a security cabinet meeting this week (August 21) to get the green light for the military offensive on Gaza City, where 70 per cent of all structured have been damaged after repeated airstrikes and a devastating siege in 2024.

This cabinet meeting will not be discussing the ceasefire deal agreed to by Hamas earlier this week, which Netanyahu has refused to comment on, per Haaretz reporting. The Prime Minister's office said that instead: "Netanyahu has ordered the timetable for taking over the last terrorist strongholds and defeating Hamas."

The estimated death toll in the territory now stands at over 62,000 in the 21 months of Israel's response to the October 7 terror attacks, where militant groups from Gaza killed 1200 Israeli soldiers and civilians, while taking 240 hostage. Following months of food aid restrictions and with no end to the war in sight, 266 Gazans have now died of starvation, 122 of those starved to death have been children according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Hamas, responding to Israel's preparations to capture and occupy Gaza City, said the attack "will fail, just as previous military operations have." Their spokesperson added that the assault "aims to destroy the remaining foundations of life in Gaza."

The proscribed terror group added: "Netanyahu's disregard for the mediators' proposal and his failure to respond to it proves that he is the true obstructionist of any agreement, that he does not care about the lives of [Israeli captives], and that he is not serious about their return."

IDF forces are already operating near to the major city, with soldiers massing in Jabalia and Zeitoun, where military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin warned: "We will deepen the damage to the terror infrastructure above and below the ground and sever the population's dependence on Hamas."

This planned ground assault will be taking place in a city that has already been "reduced to dust," according to one resident who spoke to Al Jazeera. "There is no form of life if we wish to return.

"We can't find water or homes, we can't even live in tents."

Israel's military has said it will tell all civilians to evacuate Gaza City and flee to humanitarian zones in the south, where many of the Palestinian territory's two million displaced residents are already seeking shelter.

In this part of Gaza, analysis from BBC Verify and other groups has shown Israeli bulldozers and controlled demolitions levelling areas that were once home to tens of thousands of people, with

Many of Israel's allies have condemned the planned occupation of Gaza City, as well as Prime Minister Netanyahu's plan for the military to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, which emerged after ceasefire talks fell apart last month.

France's President Macron said on Wednesday that the offensive "can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war".