Israel starts calling up reservists as it continues military offensive in Gaza City

Israel began mobilising tens of thousands of reservists on Tuesday as part of its plan to widen its offensive in Gaza City, which has sparked opposition domestically and condemnation abroad.

The call-up, announced last month, comes as ground and air forces press forward and pursue more targets in northern and central Gaza, striking parts of Zeitoun and Shijaiyah, two western neighbourhoods of Gaza City that the IDF has repeatedly moved into during the 23-month war against Hamas militants.

Zeitoun, once Gaza City’s largest neighbourhood, has been transformed over the past month, with streets being emptied and buildings reduced to rubble as it becomes what the IDF called last week a "dangerous combat zone".

Gaza City is Hamas' political and military stronghold and, according to Israel, still home to a vast tunnel network despite multiple attempts at dismantling it throughout the war.

It is also one of the last refuges in the north of the Strip, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are sheltering, facing both danger from combat and famine.

At least 60,000 Israeli reservists will be gradually called up, the IDF said last month. It will also extend the service of an additional 20,000 reservists already in the military.

Growing criticism

Meanwhile, criticism over the war in Gaza is growing. Several movements are organising to encourage reservists not to serve, although it remains unclear how many will refuse the latest call-up.

Since the world's leading authority on food crises declared that Gaza City was in the midst of a famine last month, malnutrition-related deaths have mounted.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said on Tuesday that a total of 185 people died of malnutrition in August, marking the highest count in months.

The war began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians.

Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently holding 50, of whom 20 are believed to be alive.

A subsequent Israeli offensive has resulted in the deaths of more than 63,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.

The Israeli military has so far reported around 900 dead among its troops.