Israel calls up 60,000 reservists to seize Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will additionally call up approximately 60,000 reservists to participate in the campaign to fully seize Gaza, which includes the siege of the enclave's capital. This was announced... reports The Times of Israel, citing representatives of the IDF and the country's security services.

Draft notices will be sent out in several waves starting August 20.

In the first wave, it is planned to draft about 40,000-50,000 people, who will be ordered to report for duty on September 2.

The next wave will occur in November-December, and the third in February-March 2026.

The Israel Defense Forces said it is also extending the service term for many reservists currently in service by 30-40 days.

All these measures will increase the total number of reservists during the offensive to about 130,000.

The publication reports that on August 19, Defense Minister Israel Katz met with the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, other high-ranking officers, and representatives of the Shabak (security service) to approve plans to seize the city of Gaza.

The plan was codenamed "Gideon's Chariots B". As a result of the previous operation "Gideon's Chariots", the Israel Defense Forces captured more than 75% of the enclave's territory.

• August 8, The Independent reported / announced / notified / informed / said about the new plan of the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the complete capture of Gaza. According to the document, the siege of the enclave's capital is to begin before the anniversary of the Hamas invasion on October 7.