Israel to mobilize tens of thousands of reservists for expanded Gaza operation

By Melanie Lidman, Sam Metz and Samy Magdy

Israel’s military said Wednesday that it will call up tens of thousands of reservists and extend the service of others ahead of an expanded military operation it will carry out in Gaza City.

Defense Minister Israel Katz approved plans to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza’s most densely populated areas, the military said. The plan, which is expected to receive the chief of staff’s final approval in the coming days, includes calling up 60,000 reservists and extending the service of 20,000 others who are currently serving.

In a country of fewer than 10 million people, the call-up of so many reservists carries economic and political weight, and comes just days after hundreds of thousands of Israelis rallied for a ceasefire.

It also comes as negotiators scramble to get Israel and Hamas to agree to end their 22 months of fighting,