Israel has launched the initial phase of a new military offensive aimed at seizing Gaza City, its largest urban center in the north of the enclave, described by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as one of Hamas’s last strongholds. The move requires the call-up of 60,000 additional reservists and the extension of service for another 20,000 troops.

The escalation comes amid warnings of troop exhaustion after nearly two years of war, growing domestic resistance, and international criticism over the potential impact on civilians and hostages still held in Gaza.

Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi previously cautioned that the military is under severe strain, with many soldiers repeatedly deployed. A recent survey found about 40% of troops are now less willing to serve. Meanwhile, the government faces public anger over exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews from service, leaving the burden on others.

Some reservist groups have openly urged soldiers to refuse call-up orders, and former army chief Dan Halutz predicted not all reservists will report for duty.

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Israeli Army video shows strikes around area alleged to be Hamas tunnel entrance, at the location given as Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Israeli Army, in this screen grab from a handout video released on August 20, 2025. Israeli Army/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT Verification lines: – Reuters was not able to independently verify the location and the date when the video was filmed.

Despite this, Netanyahu has pressed ahead, arguing the new operation is the quickest way to end Israel’s longest war, even as critics warn it may doom hostages and inflict further suffering on Gaza’s civilians.

Humanitarian conditions are already dire. The United Nations reports that child malnutrition in Gaza has tripled in less than six months, with nearly one in three children in Gaza City now undernourished. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini called it “a man-made, preventable famine.”

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Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military offensive shelter in an UNRWA school, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, August 20, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

More than 22 months after Hamas’s October 2023 attacks triggered the conflict, over two million people in Gaza remain displaced, facing severe hunger, disease, and shortages under Israel’s blockade.