<![CDATA[ Israel chama 60 mil reservistas para ofensiva em Gaza ]]>

The Israeli government announced this Wednesday the mobilization of 60,000 reservists as part of the announced large-scale offensive to take control of Gaza City, despite ongoing efforts to try to negotiate a ceasefire.

This is one of the largest mobilizations of reservists since the beginning of the war in Gaza. In addition to the 60,000 soldiers who will be called up, and who are expected to be operational by early September, the Israeli government has also extended the mobilization of another 20,000 reservists who had already been called up. "When the operation is over, we will have changed the face of Gaza," promised Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The operation, announced last month, aims to seize control of the entirety of Gaza City, one of Hamas's last strongholds and the location where Israeli authorities believe the approximately 20 remaining hostages may be hiding. Gaza City also hosts hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians, who will be transferred to refugee camps in the southern Gaza Strip in what the United Nations and several humanitarian organizations have described as "forced displacement," a war crime under international law. They also warned that the operation will have a "terrible humanitarian impact" on a population exhausted, starving, and traumatized by 22 months of war.

The plan is expected to receive the final 'green light' from the Israeli Chief of Staff in the coming days and will then be submitted to the Security Cabinet for approval.

The mobilization of reservists comes as the Israeli government is analyzing the latest ceasefire proposal from international mediators, already accepted by Hamas, which provides for a 60-day truce and the release of half of the hostages. Benjamin Netanyahu's government has promised to provide a response by the end of the week, but has already warned that it will not accept an agreement that does not include the release of all hostages.

Green light for the division of the West Bank

The Israeli government gave the green light this Wednesday to the construction of thousands of new settler housing units between East Jerusalem and the Maale Amudim settlement in the West Bank, a controversial project that will effectively cut Palestinian territory in half. According to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the project "burdens" the aspirations of a future Palestinian state.