Israel readies Gaza City offensive amid global outcry

Tel Aviv/Gaza: Israel is gearing up for a major assault on Gaza City this month, calling up tens of thousands of army reservists and preparing to order more than one million Palestinians to flee their homes, despite mounting international opposition and warnings of a worsening humanitarian disaster.

Officials say soldiers already encircle the city and will push into its centre by mid-September.

The security cabinet, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, approved the offensive weeks ago, even as opinion polls show Israelis divided between pressing for Hamas’s destruction or prioritising the release of the remaining 48 hostages, 20 believed alive. “What began in Gaza must end in Gaza,” Netanyahu declared in a televised message, vowing “total victory.”

A senior Israeli defence official estimated that one million Palestinians will be displaced once the offensive begins. To date, around 70,000 people have fled Gaza City, though Israel accuses Hamas of preventing further departures.

Preparations are under way to expand a so-called humanitarian zone in southern Gaza. Officials said 100,000 tents are being installed near Rafah, water lines repaired, and field hospitals enlarged. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by Israel and the US, will increase its aid stations from three to five, far short of the 16 promised by Washington.

Yet international monitors say conditions remain dire. A United Nations-backed body recently declared famine in parts of Gaza, while rights groups warn that a safe, orderly evacuation of such scale is impossible. The Red Cross cautioned that forcing a million people south would be neither “safe nor dignified.”

The offensive is straining Israel’s international standing. The US remains Israel’s only major backer, though President Donald Trump acknowledged this week that Israel is “not winning the world of public relations.” He urged Netanyahu’s government to “get that war over with.”

Across Europe and the Middle East, opposition has intensified as the civilian toll rises. Gaza’s health ministry, run by Hamas, says more than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s counterattack began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 raids that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 250 kidnapped.

Resistance is also growing inside Israel. For the first time, a group of reservists calling itself “Soldiers for the Sake of the Hostages” announced refusals to obey call-up orders. The army insists it still has sufficient manpower for the Gaza City operation.

Israel insists Hamas, which it estimates still has 20,000 fighters in Gaza City and surrounding townships, must be stripped of all weapons and authority before any ceasefire is possible. Last month Hamas signalled readiness for a phased deal to release half the hostages, but Israel has demanded the release of all captives, living and dead, as a precondition.

As both sides prepare for the battle of Gaza City, the gap between Israel’s portrayal of humanitarian readiness and the world’s warnings of catastrophe grows ever wider.