Israeli ministers on Monday agreed to ramp up the war against Hamas in Gaza, an official said, with plans to capture more territory in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave and call up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.
The plan, which the official said would be gradual, could mark a significant escalation in the fighting in Gaza, which resumed in mid-March after Israel and Hamas failed to agree on an extension to an 8-week truce. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
On Sunday, Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said the army was calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers and said Israel would “operate in additional areas” in Gaza and continue to strike militant infrastructure.
Israel already controls roughly half of Gaza’s territory, including a buffer zone along the border with Israel as well as three corridors that run east-west along the strip. These have squeezed war-weary Palestinians into ever shrinking wedges of land in the devastated territory.
For weeks, Israel has been trying to ratchet up pressure on the militant Hamas group and prompt it to show more flexibility in negotiations. In early March, Israel halted the entry of aid into Gaza — a ban that is ongoing and which has plunged the territory of 2.3 million people into what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis of the war. Hunger has been widespread, and shortages have set off looting.
Source:AP
