Tonight: IDF to start calling up 60,000 reservists for Gaza war

Israel’s political leadership has approved a significant escalation of military operations in the Gaza Strip, authorizing the mobilization of 60,000 reservists and the deployment of additional regular forces.

The call-up orders, which will be sent starting tonight, will summon reservists to report to their units starting mid-next week, meaning in a few days. Many reservists will be deployed to serve on the Lebanon border, in Syria, or in Judea and Samaria, with the aim of relieving regular forces there , who will be transferred to fight in the Gaza Strip.

The IDF says ahead of the expansion of the ground operation: “We see no other choice; the pressure on Hamas will continue to intensify in a gradual and planned operation. The purpose of mobilizing the reserves is to increase military pressure due to Hamas’s refusal to return the hostages.”

The IDF believes that Hamas still has organized forces operating as brigades with command and control, primarily in the areas of Gaza City, the central camps, and Khan Younis. In other areas of the Strip, Hamas operates as local frameworks.

According to the IDF, the organization is currently acting with the logic of preserving the high-quality forces it still has, while recruiting 16-year-old youths into its ranks and it is conserving its forces in preparation for the IDF’s intensified ground operation.

The operation aims to clear Rafah of Hamas terrorists, disconnect the city from Khan Younis, and create conditions to resume stalled hostage release negotiations. The current phase of the campaign is expected to conclude within a few weeks, with the goal of declaring Rafah free of terrorist presence.

The decision comes during a diplomatic impasse. Political sources point to Qatar’s last-minute disruption of an Egyptian proposal as a key obstacle to progress in hostage talks. Attention is now turning to U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned visit to Gulf states in the coming weeks, which could provide a diplomatic breakthrough.

In Rafah, the IDF is intensifying its efforts, focusing on demolishing Hamas’s underground networks and surface infrastructure. Heavy civilian engineering equipment, operated by reservists, has significantly accelerated building demolitions over the past week.

The Golani Brigade, supported by armored units, engineering teams, and air forces, is conducting thorough searches in neighborhoods where an estimated 150 terrorists, including senior field commanders, remain. Most combat involves long-range fire, sniper activity, and explosive charges, with real-time airstrikes targeting active threats.

To undermine Hamas’s grip, Israel plans to establish food distribution centers in Rafah in coordination with the United Nations, following a request from the U.S. government. These centers are supported by international organization. They aim to neutralize Hamas’s control over aid distribution. Reports from Gaza indicate a surge in looting of international aid warehouses by Hamas operatives, driven by worsening local shortages.

Political sources stress that the operation’s broader objective is to intensify pressure on Hamas by seizing and holding key territories, following the “Rafah model” of clearing areas, distributing aid, and eroding the group’s governance. The IDF is also preparing for potential shifts in the diplomatic landscape, including the possibility of Trump brokering a hostage release deal or a last-minute change as ground maneuvers expand.