Israel will mobilize thousands of reserve soldiers to strengthen its campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the army announced on Saturday evening, when the country seemed ready to extend its offensive in the Palestinian enclave.
The appeal suggested that the Israeli government was preparing to change tactics in order to force Hamas to accept its terms for the end of the war. It is not clear if it would be a success, because Hamas fought a determined insurrection during more than a year of Israeli operations in Gaza.
Israel’s security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was to meet on Sunday to officially sign the enlargement of the campaign in Gaza, said that an Israeli official, who spoke under the cover of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The mobilization announcement has aggravated fears in Gaza, where Israel has prohibited food, medicine and other humanitarian aids by entering for more than two months. Putting on more than a year of hunger and fighting, many are still moved or live in the middle of the rubble of their houses.
After Israel ended a two-month-old ceasefire with Hamas in mid-March, Israeli forces took over the attacker through the enclave. But while Israel jets and drones have regularly bombed Air Gaza, Israeli land forces have slowed their advance after grasping a territory.
More than 50,000 people were killed in the military campaign of Israel against Hamas in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials. They do not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but their number includes thousands of children.
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