Israel’s defense establishment is ramping up its preparations for the upcoming stage of the ground operation aimed at seizing control of Gaza City, in line with instructions issued by the Cabinet.
On Tuesday night, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir presented Defense Minister Israel Katz with an extensive operational plan detailing the next steps. The strategy includes a potential mobilization of as many as 60,000 additional reservists, in addition to the 20,000 who have already been summoned.
The IDF stated that initial mobilization notices are scheduled to begin Wednesday, but clarified that these are not immediate deployments. Reservists will receive roughly two weeks to organize and prepare, ensuring a measured rollout and smooth integration into active units.
“The goal is to integrate the forces in a coordinated manner to ensure long-term operational stability,” a senior military source said.
The security briefing on Tuesday evening was attended by Defense Minister Katz, the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, the head of the Operations Directorate, the head of Military Intelligence, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the head of the Operations Branch, representatives from the Shin Bet, and several other high-ranking officials.
Further deliberations regarding the plan to establish full control over Gaza took place Monday night at the Southern Command headquarters. According to the current operational outline, regular IDF forces will encircle Gaza City from multiple strategic directions, a move set to follow the evacuation of roughly one million Palestinian Arabs to the southern sector of the Strip.
Defense sources emphasized that the main objective continues to be the complete evacuation of northern Gaza. However, they acknowledged the challenges involved, noting that during the peak of last year’s ground maneuver, approximately 250,000 Palestinian Arabs remained in Gaza City and nearby areas despite repeated evacuation efforts.
{Matzav.com}
