Israel Begins Large-Scale Gaza City Offensive, Calls Up 60,000 Reserve Soldiers

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has begun a large-scale offensive to capture and occupy all of Gaza City and announced it will call up 60,000 reservists and extend the orders of another 20,000.

The Details: The IDF said the reservists called up would consist mostly of active-duty personnel and report for duty in September. On Wednesday, IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the IDF was already on the outskirts of Gaza City and “will deepen the blows to the terror infrastructure above and below ground — and disconnect the reliance of the population on Hamas.” Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are expected to be ordered to relocate to shelters in southern Gaza.

For Context: Earlier this month, Israel greenlit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to fully occupy Gaza City. There has been discord within Israel, however. Also in early August, over 500 former Israeli officials sent an open letter to President Trump asking him to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza, noting that Hamas isn’t a threat anymore. Earlier this week, thousands protested in Tel Aviv and New York City, demanding a ceasefire and hostage deal.

How The Media Covered It: The story was widely covered by the left and center, but not as much by mainstream outlets on the right. CNN (Lean Left bias) suggested Israel could face a shortage of soldiers, citing a recent poll that found “40% of soldiers were slightly or significantly less motivated to serve” than they previously were. Outlets from the right focused on Hamas, like The New York Post (Lean Right) and Breitbart (Right), describing Gaza City as a terror “stronghold” of Hamas. ZeroHedge (Lean Right) described the offensive as “controversial.”

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