ISRAELI MILITARY TO CALL UP RESERVE FORCES TO EXPAND GAZA OPERATIONS: REPORT

Fri 02 May 2025:

The Israeli military is preparing for a large-scale mobilisation of reserve troops in order to expand its ground operations in Gaza amid a growing crisis in troop numbers and escalating public tensions over the fate of Israeli captives held in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to hold security consultations later today with senior ministers and military officials on the matter, according to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

“In recent days, several reserve officers have alerted their units to prepare for a sudden call-up,” the newspaper said.

Tensions escalated further on Thursday when Netanyahu declared that Israeli military objectives were a higher priority than rescuing captives.

Hamas has offered a proposal to exchange all Israeli captives for a full ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, a proposal rejected by Netanyahu and his government.

In recent days, the Israeli army issued a statement indicating that reserve deployments would be carried out “with care and responsibility, based on objective and professional considerations”.

Situation in Gaza ‘catastrophic’, ceasefire needed: WHO chief

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the situation in Gaza is “catastrophic” and urged for a ceasefire, the release of captives and the delivery of humanitarian aid, which continues to be prevented by Israel.

“With two months of an aid blockade, we don’t need to see photos of emaciated children to know people are hungry, and that children are weak and malnourished, with life-long consequences,” he said in a post on X.

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Hamas warns Gaza now in phase of ‘total famine’ amid crippling aid blockade

Hamas official Abdel Rahman Shadid said Gaza has entered a phase of “total famine” and “acute malnutrition”, accusing Israel of using starvation as a “deliberate weapon of war” to subjugate Palestinians.

In a statement published on the group’s Telegram, Shadid said, “Children are dying from the lack of milk, not just from bombs.”

He condemned the Israeli government’s repeated rejection of ceasefire agreements and said fighters from Hamas and other factions have turned the battlefield into a “zone of attrition” where Israeli forces are “stumbling without achieving their goals”.

Shadid said Israeli attacks have also continued across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, including the destruction of homes and the displacement of thousands of Palestinians.

“Despite the occupation’s crimes, the resistance is growing stronger and continues to disrupt Israel’s plans,” he said.

He reiterated that Hamas is ready to negotiate a prisoner swap deal, stating that the group’s position is based on a comprehensive exchange agreement tied to a full ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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