Israel to Call Up 60,000 Reservists for Gaza City Invasion

Israel also plans to extend active duty for around 20,000 reservists already serving, the military said. Reservists will begin to receive letters in the coming days, a military official said. The military doesn’t reveal the number of troops in its standing army, but the official said most troops serving in Gaza aren’t reservists.

Israel’s security cabinet earlier this month approved the invasion and takeover of Gaza City and the evacuation of its population to the south. The military’s plans for the operation are expected to be endorsed by the security cabinet in the coming days, according to Israeli officials. 

The offensive is expected to begin in September, although the military has already started operating on the outskirts of Gaza City, including areas like Jabalia and Zaytoun, the military official said. 

The decision to enter Gaza City came after talks for a temporary cease-fire collapsed in July. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said military pressure is needed to force Hamas to surrender its arms and power in Gaza and free the remaining hostages, of which up to 20 are believed to be alive. The U.S.-designated terrorist group is believed to be holding another 30 bodies. 

The operation in Gaza City wouldn’t proceed if a deal is reached, according to an Israeli official.

Hamas on Monday said it accepted a proposal for a 60-day cease-fire that was nearly identical to one Israel had offered before the talks in July were scuttled. Israel is still weighing the latest proposal.

The expansion of the war is coming up against growing anger in Israel over the lack of a deal to bring the hostages home. On Sunday, the beginning of the Israeli workweek, hundreds of thousands of people came out for nationwide protests and a strike to call on the government to make a deal to end the war and free the hostages. 

Polls in Israel show that around 80% of Israelis want the fighting to stop. Some of the remaining hostages are believed to be held in Gaza City and their families are worried that an invasion would put their lives at risk.

The military official declined to provide details about the evacuation of Gaza City’s population, but COGAT—the Israeli military unit charged with humanitarian coordination—said it began transferring tents and shelter equipment to southern Gaza on Sunday.

The plan to expand the fighting has put the Israeli government under increasing international pressure. Countries around the world have complained about the worsening humanitarian crisis in the enclave, including widespread hunger. Over 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to Palestinian health authorities. The fighting has left swaths of the strip in ruins, with Gazans sheltering in an ever-shrinking territory.

Write to Anat Peled at anat.peled@wsj.com