Jerusalem, May 4 (EFE) .- The Israeli army will mobilize thousands of reservists to strengthen their offensive in the Gaza Strip, Efe Sources Castrenses informed Efe, after Prime Minister Benjamín Netanyahu warned Thursday that the “final objective” of the attacks in the Palestinian enclave is “the victory” over Hamas.
As the sources indicated this Sunday, the reservists mobilization will occur “in the next few days”, and local media explain that this mobilization responds to Israel’s intention to significantly expand its offensive in Gaza.
According to the Israeli newspaper Times of Israel, last Friday the army presented Netanyahu its plan for an offensive in Gaza, which will require a “considerable mobilization” and could be approved this Sunday at a meeting of the security cabinet.
The newspaper explains that the reservists called rows may not be sent directly to Gaza, but to other fronts such as Lebanon, Syria or the West Bank, and it will be the permanent members of the Army who will be deployed in the strip.
The mobilization occurs after Netanyahu warned last Thursday that, although bringing the Israelis captive by Hamas in Gaza (there are 59, of them only 24 living) back to Israel is “very important”, the “final objective” of the offensive in the Palestinian enclave is “the victory” over their enemies.
In addition, his cabinet announced this Saturday that he canceled his trip this week to Azerbaijan “in the light of events in the Gaza and Syria strip, and due to a tight political and security agenda.”
This extension of the offensive in Gaza occurs at a time where negotiations for a new high fire seem stagnant and Israel has already taken control of approximately 36 % of the territory of the Palestinian enclave.
Since Israel broke the high fire with Hamas on March 18, it restarted an air and land offensive that has claimed the lives of 2,400 Gazati and 6 Israeli military.
In that offensive, the Israeli troops have widened the security perimeter adjacent to the borders of Gaza with Israel, open and occupied a new corridor that crosses the strip from east to west and adds to another existing corridor, as well as occupied the entire southern part of Rafah. EFE
