Days after declaring full occupation of Gaza, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday (August 20) gave his nod to a plan to capture Gaza City and authorised the mobilisation of around 60,000 reservists to support the operation. According to a ministry spokesperson, Katz’s decision adds pressure on Hamas as regional mediators await Israel’s formal response to their latest ceasefire proposal in the nearly two-year-old war.

As Israeli forces start moving onto the city’s outskirts, thousands of Palestinians are leaving parts of Gaza City, marking the early stages of a planned ground offensive. Residents described a night of heavy bombardment in neighbourhoods including Zeitoun and Sabra, where the Israeli military said troops were laying the groundwork for a wider assault.

The Israel-Gaza war has been going on for around 22 months now and was ignited in October 2023 after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians. Israel’s offensive, on the other hand, has killed at least 62,064 Palestinians, most of them civilians.

Israel attacks on Gaza: What’s the situation on the ground?

“The house shakes with us all night long — the sound of explosions, artillery, warplanes, ambulances, and cries for help is killing us,” said Ahmad al-Shanti, a Gaza resident, in comments to AFP. The Israeli operation, approved by Defence Minister Israel Katz earlier this week, is aimed at seizing what PM Benjamin Netanyahu has called “the last terror strongholds” in Gaza.

Military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said two brigades were already operating in Zeitoun and a third in Jabalia, reporting the discovery of a weapons tunnel.

Israel’s advance comes as international criticism mounts. UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further civilian casualties, while French President Emmanuel Macron warned the operation “can only lead to disaster for both peoples.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross also cautioned that intensified hostilities could trigger “an irreversible humanitarian crisis.”

Why Israel calls its offensive necessary?

Israel says the offensive is necessary to dismantle Hamas’s remaining command structures in Gaza City, while insisting it is working to protect some 50 hostages still held in the enclave. Hamas, in turn, accused Netanyahu of ignoring a new ceasefire proposal from mediators Qatar and Egypt, which the group said it accepted earlier this week.

“Today’s announcement by the terrorist occupation army of the start of an operation against Gaza City and its nearly one million residents and displaced persons… demonstrates… a blatant disregard for the efforts made by the mediators,” it said in a statement.

About 60,000 Israeli reservists are being called up to support the operation, while hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City are expected to be ordered south in coming days. With nearly 2.1 million residents already displaced multiple times, humanitarian agencies warn the population is “utterly exhausted.”

Gaza’s civil defence agency said at least 25 people, including three children and their parents, were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday.

Israel-Hamas hostage release deal: What was agreed?

Earlier this week on Monday (August 18), Palestinian terror group Hamas claimed to have accepted a proposed hostage release deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, news agency Reuters reported.

Israel, on the other hand, stated that it is studying Hamas’ response to the proposal, but has demanded the release of all the hostages still held in the region. This is over and above the half of them proposed in the draft deal.

As per the deal, 200 Palestinian convicts jailed in Israel have to be released along with an unspecified number of imprisoned women and minors. In return, 10 living and 18 deceased hostages will be released from Gaza.
Israel, however, wasn’t okay with the terms of the deal. According to Israeli government spokesman David Mencer the Netanyahu government is not interested in “partial deals.” “Things have changed now. The prime minister has laid out a plan for the future of Gaza,” he told the BBC.