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Middle East conflict

Israel to mobilize thousands of reservists to expand operation in Gaza

Israel "made it very clear that if the hostages are release and Hamas surrenders arms, the war will be ended," Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer added

TEL AVIV, May 5. /TASS/. Israel plans to mobilize tens of thousands of reservists this week to expand its operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said.

"This week, Israel will issue tens of thousands of call-up papers for reservists to reinforce and expand the operation in Gaza. No for occupation but for expanding the military operation," he told a briefing. The objective, in his words, is "to augment pressure on Hamas to release hostages" held by the radicals in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel "made it very clear that if the hostages are release and Hamas surrenders arms, the war will be ended," he added.

According to Mencer, the country’s war cabinet "approved the possibility for continuing humanitarian aid distribution" in the Gaza Strip whenever required." "Bearing in mind that 25,000 trucks with humanitarian aid were sent to Gaza during the pause in hostilities, let alone 1.8 million tons of assistance dispatched prior to that, Israel knows that there is enough food in Gaza at the moment," he said. "Our priority will be not to let Hamas take control over deliveries that are used by it to fianc· terror," he stressed.

On March 18, Israel resumed hostilities in the Gaza Strip and delivered a series of strikes on Hamas targets, thus cutting short the ceasefire that had been in place in the enclave since January 2025. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office explained the move by Hamas' rejections of proposals advanced after talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff. It claimed that the goal of the operation was to release all of the Israeli hostages. Hamas placed responsibility for this latest spiral of escalation in Gaza on Israel and the United States.

Another round of talks between Egyptian mediators and Hamas representatives were held in Cairo on April 26. Two days later, Israeli negotiators visited the Egyptian capital city. However, neither of the sides has officially informed about the results of these consultations.

According to the latest data from the Israeli side, Hamas and its allies are still holding 24 living hostages and 35 bodies of hostages in the Gaza Strip.

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