Israel is preparing to widen its offensive in Gaza to take over parts of Gaza City. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is calling up 60,000 soldiers as part of the preparations for extended fighting. The latest push builds on the operation Israel began in May, dubbed Gideon’s Chariots, which saw the IDF take over around 70 percent of Gaza. IDF head Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir used the 70 percent figure most recently in a discussion with Israel’s cabinet on August 31.
On September 2, Zamir spoke with IDF reservists who have returned to duty. “We are going to increase and enhance the strikes of our operation, and that is why we called you. The IDF does not offer anything less than decisive victory. We will not stop the war until we defeat this enemy,” he said.
The IDF has been preparing for the upcoming battle by repairing armored vehicles and gearing up assistance for reservists and their families. Israel’s reserve system has been strained by multiple call-ups during the war.
Zamir delivered his comments in a speech at the Naschonim base in Israel, where the IDF chief met with the commander of the 99th Division, Brigadier General Yoav Brunner, and the commander of the IDF’s 11th Infantry Reserve Brigade.
The 11th Brigade has previously operated in Gaza during the 22-month war that began with Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023. It fought in Gaza City in December 2023 and was later deployed to northern Israel during fighting with Hezbollah.
The 99th Division has been responsible for holding areas in the Netzarim Corridor over the last year and a half. Most recently, it has fought in Zeitoun, a neighborhood near Gaza City that the Israeli military has taken seven times during the war. The IDF said on September 2 that “over the past month, in a joint activity of the 99th Division and the ISA [Israel Security Agency], dozens of terrorists who operated to carry out terrorist activities against IDF troops in the northern and central Gaza Strip were eliminated.”
In his September 2 speech, Zamir told reservists that the IDF is entering places it has not entered throughout the war, an apparent reference to areas of Gaza City that the military never operated in despite multiple raids in and around the city. The IDF head made these comments after several reports in Israeli media outlets depicted tensions rising between him and members of the Security Cabinet of Israel. The reports of a disagreement also come amid continued protests and demands in Israel for a hostage deal.
IDF reservists are arriving at their units after the school year began in Israel on September 1 and almost two weeks after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz approved plans for the takeover of Gaza City.
The IDF continues daily operations in Gaza. For instance, it eliminated Hamas spokesperson Hudahaifa al Kahlout, better known as Abu Obeida, on Saturday. On August 31, the IDF also said it had recovered the bodies of two hostages, Ilan Weiss and Idan Shtivi, and announced the death of a soldier who fell in fighting in southern Gaza.
Humanitarian aid continues to enter Gaza. On September 1, the IDF said that “170 trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organizations, while the contents of several hundred more remain on the Gazan side of the crossings, awaiting collection.” On September 2, the IDF added, “Over the past day, more than 320 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.”
The IDF’s daily announcements about the amount of aid entering Gaza come as humanitarian relief groups have warned of a famine in the territory. The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said in an emailed statement on September 2 that it had distributed 1.5 million meals. The group has provided 150 million meals since it began operations in late May.
