Israel calls up thousands of reservists for Gaza war
Israel’s security cabinet is poised to discuss an expansion of the Gaza war as tens of thousands of Israeli reservists receive call-up notices.
Israeli soldiers stand in a group hug as they mourn Master Sgt. (res.) Asaf Cafri, who was killed in a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, during his funeral service in the Gezer regional council of Israel, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The Israeli armed forces are sending call-up notices to tens of thousands of reservists ahead of a decision on whether to expand their attacks in the Gaza Strip, according to media reports.
A major offensive could begin in the coming days, Ynet Israeli news site reported.
The Israeli security cabinet is set to discuss an expansion of the Gaza war on Sunday. According to Israeli media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already agreed in principle to such plans.
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, when some 1200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted to the coastal strip.
According to Israel, of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza, 35 are no longer alive.
Israel is looking to increase its attacks to pressure Palestinian militant organisation Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages.
After a ceasefire lasting almost two months, the Israeli military resumed its attacks in the Gaza Strip on March 18.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the planned mobilisation is massive, but still significantly smaller than the one launched immediately after the October 2023 attack.
Some reservists are to replace regular troops currently deployed on the northern border or in the West Bank so that they can, in turn, be sent to the Gaza Strip, Ynet said.
An expansion of the attacks is likely to further exacerbate the desperate situation in the Gaza Strip, with conditions described as catastrophic by aid organisations.
Israel has stopped aid supplies from entering the sealed-off area, home to around two million Palestinians, for two months.
An Israeli air attack on a building in the south of the Gaza Strip has killed at least 11 people, including women and children, a spokesman for the Hamas-controlled civil protection agency said on Saturday.
An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that there had been an attack in the area targeting what she said were Hamas terrorists.
By: Sara Lemel and Emad Drimly in Tel Aviv/Gaza DPA
