Overview
- Military orders include 60,000 new call-ups and extensions for 20,000 reservists, with many to report in September as the broader offensive’s start date remains unconfirmed.
- IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said preliminary operations are underway and forces hold positions on Gaza City’s outskirts, with groundwork reported in Zeitoun and Jabalia.
- The stated goal is to seize Gaza City and degrade Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, including its tunnel network, with plans that could expand to five divisions.
- U.N. agencies and major NGOs warn a widened assault could trigger mass displacement and deepen a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with southern hospitals already beyond capacity.
- Domestic pressure has intensified from hostage families and large protests; Israel says about 50 hostages remain in Gaza, roughly 20 of whom are believed to be alive, as officials review the Cairo-mediated truce terms.