Israel will start recruiting around 60,000 reserve soldiers on Tuesday to prepare for the occupation of Gaza City, as the military continues to pound the enclave, killing at least 40 people since dawn.
According to Hebrew news site Maariv, the recruitment drive of the reserve soldiers comes after Tel Aviv declared Gaza City, home to almost one million Palestinians, a "dangerous combat zone".
Israel has in recent days been heavily pounding the area, killing scores of Palestinians and leaving them no safe routes or areas to flee.
The reports state that the soldiers will undergo training for around three or four days, before some reserve units are tasked with replacing regular service soldiers in the defence and combat zones in north Gaza.
Reports further note that some of the reserve brigades will be expected to take part in fighting inside Gaza, while others will be given the role of reinforcing the occupation of the West Bank.
Hebrew newspaper Walla reported, citing unnamed sources, that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar informed his US counterpart on Wednesday that Tel Aviv is preparing to expand and declare its sovereignty in the occupied West Bank in the coming months.
"Estimates indicate that the Israeli army will soon begin concentrating regular service brigades in the assembly areas around the Gaza Strip, in preparation for a large-scale military incursion to impose a siege on Gaza city and begin military manoeuvres," the report from Maariv continued.
The move comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month announced plans for Israel to occupy the Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City.
As part of the plans, Israeli media reported that the army will open a corridor in Gaza City’s south-western area, to force residents to leave.
Israel has for months been forcing Palestinians out of the north into the south, an area which is already overcrowded and where disease is spreading rapidly due to the collapse of the enclave’s healthcare infrastructure.
Israel's military chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, raised concerns that Tel Aviv's plan to occupy Gaza City will lead to an Israeli military administration ruling over Gaza, Hebrew media reported.
"You are heading to a military government, your plan is leading us there, understand the implications," he told a meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet this week.
He pressed for a deal that would see Hamas release the remaining captives; however, Netanyahu rejected the idea.
Meanwhile, at least 13 people in Gaza, including three children, have been killed due to Israeli-imposed famine and malnutrition in the last 24 hours, Gaza’s health ministry announced.
The figures bring the total toll of hunger-related deaths in the Strip to 361, including 130 children.
Israel has come under mounting scrutiny in recent months for its blockade on Gaza and restrictions on emergency aid.
Several countries have expressed their intentions to, as a result, recognise a Palestinian state at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York.
The leader of Israel’s opposition party Yisrael Beiteinu, Avigdor Lieberman, said Belgium’s decision to join other countries in recognising a Palestinian state was a "direct result" of Netanyahu’s "political failure".
"Due to Netanyahu’s inability to manage the political arena, a Palestinian state is being established before our eyes," Lieberman said in a post on X.
"Belgium’s decision to join the recognition and sanctions move is another direct result of his political failure," he continued.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 63,000 Palestinians since October 2023, displaced much of the population and triggered a dire humanitarian catastrophe.