By Guy Birchall
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced it had begun the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City on Wednesday.
“We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City,” Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israel’s military spokesperson, said in a press briefing.
“The Nahal and the 7th Brigade, under the command of the 99th Division, are operating on the ground in the Zeitoun area on the outskirts of Gaza City.”
He added that the move had already achieved some goals, saying that “in recent days, our troops have located an underground tunnel in which weapons were located inside Gaza City. ”
Defrin further said that in conjunction with the military assault, Israel was also working to establish a humanitarian effort, saying that the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), an official Israeli unit tasked with the coordination and facilitation of humanitarian initiatives in the West Bank.
Fresh aid distribution centers were also being set up, he said, as a part of an approach which would “sever” the population’s dependence on the terrorist group Hamas, adding that the IDF would warn civilians in the area and allow them to evacuate.
Gaza City, located in the north of the strip, is the largest city in the enclave with an estimated population of 823,000 according to World Population Review, although that figure does not account for fluctuations during the war.
As part of the operation, Israel called up about 60,000 reservists ahead of an expansion of its operation in Gaza.
In a post on X, the IDF stated that the new reserve orders were issued on the morning of Aug. 20, while another 20,000 reservists had their service extended as part of the next phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots.
The operation is named after the biblical warrior Gideon, who, according to the Book of Judges, led the Israelites to victory over the Midianite army with just 300 men.
Also on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “directed that the timetables—for seizing control of the last terrorist strongholds and the defeat of Hamas—be shortened,” according to an X post from the official account of the prime minister of Israel, but no details have yet been given.
A war cabinet meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday to discuss the plans to take Gaza City, Israel Hayom reports.
Thursday also saw United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, following the announcement that Israel had taken the first steps to take over Gaza City.
“It is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza,” that was necessary “to avoid the death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause,” Guterres said from Tokyo, according to Reuters.
Guterres called for the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas and urged Israel to reverse a decision to expand the construction of settlements in the West Bank, which Israel calls Judea and Samaria.
The Israeli settlement plan, which would cut off the West Bank from East Jerusalem, was announced last week and received the final go-ahead from a Defense Ministry planning commission on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Arab mediators and Hamas stated that the leaders of the terrorist group had agreed to cease-fire terms, although similar announcements have been made in the past that did not lead to a lasting truce.
Qatar announced the move and said they were awaiting an Israeli response.
The cease-fire would be for 60 days as an unspecified number of prisoners and hostages will be swapped, in addition to the repositioning of Israeli forces and the increase of humanitarian assistance going into Gaza, according to Qatari Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari.
The war in Gaza has raged since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing 251 hostages.
The terrorist group still holds 50 hostages. The Israeli government believes that 20 of them are still alive.
The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health stated on Aug. 18 via Telegram that more than 62,000 people have been killed since the start of the war. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in these casualty figures, and The Epoch Times cannot verify their accuracy.
