Israeli media are reporting that tens of
thousands of military reser will be
called up in the coming weeks ahead of a
planned ground offensive to capture all
of Gaza city. A million Palestinian
residents are expected to be ordered to
leave once new shelters are set up in
southern Gaza. Many of Israel's allies
have condemned the plan. Israel has yet
to give a formal response to a ceasefire
proposal which Hamas has agreed to, but
officials have reiterated that the
country will no longer accept a partial
deal. Let's speak to our Gaza
correspondent Rashi Abu Aluf who's in
Istanbul. Rashi, tell us more about this
draft to call up these reserveists.
Well, this is uh Israeli media is
reporting this that Israel will call up
about 60,000 reserveist into the
operation in Gaza. You know, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced
that they will reoccupied or re control
Gaza city. Gaza city is the biggest city
in the entire of Gaza Strip where about
a million people live there. not only
originally from Gaza city but from the
north, from the east, from the south,
everybody is now uh you know in a very
tiny bit of land in western part of the
uh the city. Very worrying news for the
people there who were like briefly hoped
uh yesterday that the Israel would
respondse positively to the Egyptian new
proposal that Hamas agreed to it about
24 hours ago. The deal is talking about
60 days of ceasefire for Hamas to
release 10 Israeli live hostages and
about 18
bodies. In return, Israel would release
about 15 or 15,000500
Palestinian prisoners and allow more
needed food and medicine into Gaza. But
you know the people are very worried
this time because uh they they have
experienced the Israeli operation in
Gaza city about a year ago when they
were told to evacuate all of their homes
into the southern Gaza. This is what the
people are worrying the most in Gaza.
>> Rashi for the moment. Thank you very
much. Let's join our Middle East
correspondent Yoland Nell in Jerusalem.
What's the time frame, Yoland, for this
military operation which the Netanyahu
government has talked about which would
see Israel capturing all of Gaza City?
So, I mean, the next step is for the
Israeli military chief of staff to um
get those plans approved by the Israeli
cabinet. We're expecting that to happen
um pretty soon. Um already there are
Israeli maneuvers that are happening
around Gaza City. Um and people in the
city have been telling us you know how
frightening it is to have this intense
Israeli bombardment. There have been
many house demolitions taking place
particularly in the Zetun neighborhood
that has led to people fleeing uh within
the city and people said that have been
trapped there as well. The Israeli uh
military is calling up tens of thousands
of reservists. That's what dominates the
Israeli news headlines this morning. Um,
and at the same time as this, you know,
we have still got um no actual meeting
scheduled, a security cabinet meeting uh
to discuss that uh proposal that's come
from the mediators for a new Gaza
ceasefire that Hamas has signed up to.
So, there's quite sort of lot of mixed
signals coming from the Israelis at the
moment. They really want to show that
they're pushing ahead with their plans
uh to conquer all of Gaza City. Um and
then they're saying when it comes to um
the idea of a new ceasefire and hostage
deal that they're no longer ready to
accept what they're calling a partial
deal. Uh what's being proposed at the
moment to only bring back half of the
remaining uh living hostages in exchange
for Palestinian prisoners over the
course of a 60-day uh ceasefire. Um, but
then there are also messages from
unnamed Israeli officials that you see
uh in the media a lot basically saying
that they are reviewing this proposal
that's come through from the mediators
and the White House has said it's
continuing to discuss it as well.
>> How great is the pressure that Benjamin
Netanyahu is under the international
community to agree to something that
would avert this capture of Gaza City.
So I mean on the one hand he has many of
Israel's western allies um really you
know condemning the idea of this plan
saying that will deepen the humanitarian
crisis uh in the Gaza Strip. But then of
course you know Israel's closest ally is
Washington and uh Donald Trump has
without saying it um you know in full
seemed to give a kind of nod of approval
to Israeli plans um to go ahead and and
uh put more pressure on Hamas um and to
you know go ahead with this operation
which Israel says is intended to clear
Hamas out of Gaza City which remains its
stronghold.
>> You land for the moment. Thank you very
much. You land now in Jerusalem.