The move comes after the Israel Defense Forces called up about 60,000 more reservists and extended the service of another 20,000.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had begun the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on Aug. 20.
“We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City,” Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, Israel’s military spokesperson, told reporters.
“The Nahal and the 7th Brigade, under the command of the 99th Division, are operating on the ground in the Zeitoun area on the outskirts of Gaza City.”
According to Defrin, the move had already achieved some goals.
“In recent days, our troops have located an underground tunnel in which weapons were located inside Gaza City,” he said.
Defrin further said that in conjunction with the military assault, Israel was also working to establish a humanitarian effort led by the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, an official Israeli unit tasked with the coordination and facilitation of humanitarian initiatives in the West Bank.
Fresh aid distribution centers were also being set up as part of an approach that would “sever” the population’s dependence on the Hamas terrorist group, he said. He said the IDF would warn civilians in the area and allow them to evacuate.
Gaza City, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, is the largest city in the enclave. It has an estimated population of 823,000, according to World Population Review, although that figure does not account for fluctuations during the war.
As part of the operation, Israel called up about 60,000 reservists ahead of an expansion of its operation in the Gaza Strip.
In a post on X, the IDF stated that the new reserve orders were issued on the morning of Aug. 20, while another 20,000 reservists had their service extended as part of the next phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots.
The operation is named after the biblical warrior Gideon, who, according to the Book of Judges, led the Israelites to victory over the Midianite army with just 300 men.
Also on Aug. 20, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “directed that the timetables—for seizing control of the last terrorist strongholds and the defeat of Hamas—be shortened,” according to an X post from the official account of the prime minister of Israel. No details have yet been given.
Ahead of approval of the plans for the operation in Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the timetables – for seizing control of the last terrorist strongholds and the defeat of Hamas – be shortened.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 20, 2025
By Guy Birchall
