 "An Israeli tank takes position on Israel's border with the Gaza Srip on May 4, 2025. AFP Photo")
The Israeli military has started calling up tens of thousands of reservists as it moves to “intensify and expand” its operations in Gaza, army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir confirmed on Sunday, signaling a major escalation in the ongoing conflict.
“This week we are issuing tens of thousands of orders to our reservists to intensify and expand our operation in Gaza,” Zamir said in a statement, adding the army would destroy all Hamas infrastructure, “both on the surface and underground”.
As part of its expanded Gaza campaign, the Israeli military announced plans to operate in new areas and “destroy all infrastructure” both above and below ground.
The move comes ahead of a key meeting of the Israeli security cabinet on Sunday, where final approval for the military escalation is expected.
In a video message posted on X earlier in the day, hours after debris from a missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia landed near Ben Gurion Airport, PM Netanyahu said the cabinet would meet to discuss “the next stage” of the Gaza war.
While it remains unclear whether the cabinet will issue final approvals during the meeting, Israel’s military has already begun mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists in preparation for a wider campaign, the army chief said on Sunday.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts”We are increasing the pressure with the goal of returning our people (hostages) and defeating Hamas,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir told troops, according to a statement from the army.
Already in control of almost a third of Gaza’s territory, Israel has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March after the collapse of a U.S.-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months.
Ministers have justified the blockade by saying that Hamas has seized aid intended for civilians and kept it for its own fighters or sold it, charges that Hamas has denied. At the same time, Israel has faced warnings of famine in Gaza as supplies run low.
With inputs from agencies