On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz approved a military plan to conquer Gaza City and authorized the call-up of approximately 60,000 reservists, with a military official clarifying that 50,000 would be drafted starting in September, as confirmed by the Defence Ministry to AFP and reported by Hindustan Times and Daily Mail. The operation, codenamed “Gideon’s Chariots B,” follows a prior campaign controlling 75% of Gaza’s territory to pressure Hamas, with active-duty troops leading the offensive in Zeitoun and Jabalia neighborhoods, per Times of India. Katz’s move intensifies pressure on Hamas amid ongoing ceasefire talks, with Qatar expressing cautious optimism over a proposal for a 60-day truce, hostage releases, and aid delivery, though Israel insists on the release of all 50 hostages, 20 believed alive (NZ Herald, France24).
The decision has sparked concerns over worsening Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, with 62,064 Palestinians killed since October 2023, mostly civilians, per Gaza’s health ministry (Daily Sabah). Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi accused Israel of planning “ethnic cleansing,” while a senior Israeli official reiterated no compromise on hostage demands (BSS News). X posts from @AFP (07:34 WAT, August 20, 2025) broke the news, while @SuppressedNws alleged plans to displace 800,000–1 million civilians to Al-Mawasi by October 7, citing Israel’s Channel 12
Leave a Reply