Israel mobilizes 60,000 reservists for planned occupation of Gaza
Israel has begun mobilizing some 60,000 reservists to take part in its planned occupation of Gaza City, the army confirmed Tuesday, signaling a major escalation in the genocidal war now in its 23rd month, as the death toll in the Gaza Strip stands at 63,633.
The military said the reservists will be issued weapons, personal gear and full tactical equipment, with units undergoing drills in urban and open terrain combat “to boost readiness for upcoming missions.
The step follows Friday’s declaration of Gaza City as a dangerous combat zone, accompanied by heavy bombardment and demolitions that have already caused mass civilian casualties and widespread destruction. Gaza’s Government Media Office has accused the army of deploying explosive-laden robots and adopting a scorched earth strategy.
Israeli daily Maariv said the mobilization would see reservists undergo three to four days of training before some are reassigned to replace regular troops stationed on the northern front.
The mobilization is part of a phased reoccupation plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on Aug. 8. According to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, the strategy calls for forcing residents southward, surrounding Gaza City, and then launching incursions deeper into residential areas.
Israel has killed more than 63,600 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
The death toll from relentless Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn Tuesday has risen to 95 Palestinians, medical sources confirmed.
In the last 24 hours, the bodies of 95 slain Palestinians and at least 281 casualties were admitted to Gaza hospitals.
Also within the last 24 hours, Israel killed 12 aid seekers and injured 90 others, raising the total death toll and casualties among aid seekers to 2,306 and over 16,929, respectively.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
