IDF calls up tens of thousands of reservists for increased pressure on Gaza

The IDF is sending out call-up orders for tens of thousands of reservists starting Sunday, on the road toward widening the Gaza invasion. Also, the military said that the expansion would be in stages, signaling that it could take days or weeks before having a clearer picture of the strategy and impact of the IDF’s further invasion. The move was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday and is expected to be formally approved by the security cabinet on Sunday.

Despite the mass call-up, the numbers will still fall far below the call-up of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in October 2023 after the massacre. To date, the IDF has taken control of about 40% of Gaza since it renewed its invasion on March 18, with Hamas offering close to zero resistance, other than occasional guerrilla-style ambushes of soldiers.

However, most of Hamas’s forces are projected to be hiding among close to two million civilians in humanitarian zones or in portions of central Gaza where there are suspicions of hostages being held. (Read More)