Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has approved the military’s plan to capture and occupy Gaza City and authorised the mobilisation of about 60,000 reservists, the Defence Ministry confirmed on Wednesday. The call-up, expected to begin in September, will expand the forces available for what officials describe as the war’s “next phase” after nearly two years of fighting in the Gaza Strip. The operation—codenamed “Gideon’s Chariots B”—will involve five IDF divisions, although commanders say most troops on the ground will be active-duty soldiers already engaged in combat. Units have started preparatory raids in the Zeitoun and Jabalia districts, and evacuation plans for civilians are being drafted as Israel signals it intends to push deeper into Gaza’s largest urban centre. Katz’s order implements a plan endorsed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet earlier this month that seeks to dismantle Hamas’s remaining strongholds, secure the release of roughly 50 hostages and establish what officials call long-term security control over the enclave. Israeli forces say they now hold about 75 % of Gaza, while Gaza’s health ministry puts the Palestinian death toll at more than 62,000; Israel tallies about 1,200 dead from Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack that triggered the war. The mobilisation comes as Egypt, Qatar and the United States press Israel to accept a 60-day cease-fire proposal that Hamas says it has approved. By scheduling the reservists’ deployment for next month, Israeli commanders have left a brief window for diplomacy, yet aid agencies warn that a full-scale assault on Gaza City could force mass displacement and worsen already dire humanitarian conditions.