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The mobilization could indicate that the Israeli government is preparing to shift its tactics in its fight against Hamas.
May 3, 2025, 4:46 p.m. ET
Israel will mobilize thousands of reserve soldiers to bolster its campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the military announced on Saturday night, as the country appeared poised to expand its offensive in the Palestinian enclave.
The move prompted fear in Gaza, where Israel has barred food, medicine and other humanitarian aid from entering for over two months. Reeling from more than a year of hunger and fighting, many are still displaced or living amid the rubble of what was once their homes.
Israel’s security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was set to meet on Sunday to formally sign off on broadening the campaign in Gaza, said an Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Since Israel ended a two-month cease-fire with Hamas in mid-March, Israeli forces have resumed attacking across the enclave. But while Israel jets and drones have regularly bombarded Gaza from the air, Israeli ground forces slowed their advance after seizing some territory.
The call-up of the reservists over the next few days could indicate that the Israeli government is preparing to shift tactics in an attempt to force Hamas to agree to its terms to end the war. Earlier in the war, Israeli troops swept through the enclave, leveling swathes of Gaza’s cities and displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
More than 50,000 people have been killed in Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials. They do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but their tallies include thousands of children.
