Categories: International

Israel pounds Gaza City ahead of ‘intolerable’ new offensive

Smoke rises from an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Thursday as fart of a new military campaign on the devastated territory

Israel pounds Gaza City ahead of ‘intolerable’ new offensive

GAZA CITY: Israel hammered Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, residents said Thursday, as the military announced it had taken the initial steps in its push to capture Hamas’s last major stronghold.

The newly approved plan authorizes the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, deepening fears the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

“We are advancing with the efforts toward operations in Gaza City,” military chief Eyal Zamir told troops on Thursday.

“We already have troops operating on the outskirts of the city, and more forces will join them later on.”

Israel’s plans to expand the fighting and seize Gaza City have sparked international outcry as well as domestic opposition, with the Red Cross joining the condemnation on Thursday, calling the moves “intolerable.”

Ahead of the offensive, the Israeli military said the call-up of the reservists would begin in early September, adding the second phase of operation “Gideon’s Chariots” had begun.