Israel Commences First Stage Of Assault On Gaza City

The Israeli military on Wednesday said that it has entered the first stages of its planned offensive to take over Gaza city. The military is calling up around 60,000 reservists  for an expanded military operation in the Palestinian enclave, BBC reported. 

"We have begun the preliminary actions and the initial stages of the offensive on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding positions on the outskirts of Gaza City," Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin told reporters on Wednesday.

"We will intensify the strikes on Hamas in Gaza City, the political and military stronghold of the terror organization,” he added. He stated that Israel is trying to “minimise harm to civilians" and has asked them to evacuate the area. "We are continuing to allow humanitarian aid for the residents of the Strip and are even expanding it — with additional central aid distribution points," he claimed. 

Hamas criticised the statement by the Israeli military and asserted that the Israeli government "insists on continuing its brutal war against innocent civilians, escalating its criminal operations in Gaza City with the aim of destroying it, and displacing its residents in a full-fledged war crime," NBC News reported. 

Israel has drawn widespread international criticism after it declared its plans to take over Gaza city. "Israel’s reported decision to take full control of Gaza City and to forcibly displace its population will lead to mass killings of civilians and destruction of infrastructure vital to the survival of the population," UN Human Rights Palestine said in a statement.

French president Emmanuel Macron warned that the plan "can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war".

The Israeli government had announced its plan after talks for a ceasefire and the release of hostages broke down last month.