Israel is calling up tens of thousands of extra reservists as it prepares to send troops to occupy Gaza City.
The Israeli military said the first stage of its planned assault was already underway, with IDF troops moving into the outskirts of the city, which is currently home to more than 1 million people.
Israel describes the city as a Hamas stronghold, but it is also one of the last places of refuge of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians already displaced in almost two years of war.
What's happened?
Israel's military announced the first steps of its operation to take over Gaza City on Wednesday and called up tens of thousands of reservists.
"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," Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said.
Initially, a military official briefing reporters earlier on Wednesday said reserve soldiers would not report for duty until September.
But after Israeli troops clashed with Hamas fighters in Gaza that same day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader sped up the timeline for taking control of Hamas "strongholds".
"We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organisation," the spokesperson said.
The IDF said troops had already begun circling the outskirts of Gaza City and Hamas was now a "battered and bruised" guerilla force.
Hamas was quick to react to the latest fighting in Gaza City.
"Today's announcement by the terrorist occupation army of the start of an operation against Gaza City and its nearly 1 million residents and displaced persons … demonstrates … a blatant disregard for the efforts made by the mediators," it said in a statement.
What is Operation Gideon's Chariots?
Operation Gideon's Chariots is the name the IDF has given to its plans to occupy Gaza City.
It could potentially see thousands of Israeli troops, some of them reservists, being sent into built-up areas where they have not previously operated.
The move into the city is the first step of a larger Israeli operation that aims to eventually expand to built-up refugee camps in central Gaza, as well as to Muwasi, a sprawling displacement camp along the coast.
Those areas, along with the central city of Deir al-Balah, are the only parts of Gaza that have not been almost completely destroyed in previous Israeli operations.
The takeover plans in Gaza also include areas where Hamas may be holding hostages in tunnels or other secret locations, Israel says.
Where is Gaza City?
Gaza City is located on the Mediterranean coast, just over 75 kilometres south-west of Jerusalem, and is the largest city in the Gaza Strip.
Before the war, Gaza City was home to around 700,000 people.
But now, Israeli media reports the number of people there has swelled to about 1.2 million.
The majority of people who live in Gaza City are Palestinian refugees or descendants of refugees.
The serious escalation into Gaza City could displace hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have been uprooted multiple times during the war.
Fearing an imminent Israeli ground offensive, thousands of Palestinians have left their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and south in the shattered territory.
Israel currently holds about 75 per cent of the Gaza Strip.
What are other countries saying about Israel’s actions?
The Israeli statements on Wednesday signalled Israel was pressing ahead with its plan to seize Gaza's biggest urban centre despite international criticism.
Israel's actions in Gaza have been condemned by the UN and more than 28 Western-aligned nations.
"It's pretty obvious that it will just create another mass displacement of people who have been displaced repeatedly since this phase of the conflict started," United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
Last month Western-aligned nations including Australia, Britain and Canada issued a joint statement condemning Israel's actions and saying the war "must end now".
The statement said "the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths" and added that "the Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable".
US President Donald Trump restated his support for Israel in a post on his Truth Social website earlier this week.
"We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be," he wrote. "Play to WIN, or don't play at all!" Mr Trump said.
Where are ceasefire talks at?
On Monday, Hamas agreed to a ceasefire proposed by Qatar and Egypt.
Whilst Israel has not yet responded, it continues to say it is committed to fully defeating Hamas.
The most recent proposals make slight modifications to an earlier ceasefire proposal advanced by the US and accepted by Israel.
The specific details of the latest proposal have not been made public, but Egyptian and Hamas officials have described the broad outlines:
- A 60-day ceasefire in which Israeli forces would pull back to a buffer zone extending 800 metres into Gaza.
- Hamas to release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases.
- Israel to release around 1,700 Palestinian prisoners, including 200 serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks.
- Israel to allow 600 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza each day, a major increase that could help arrest what experts have described as the territory's slide toward famine.
- During the temporary ceasefire, the sides would negotiate a lasting truce, the release of the remaining hostages and the further withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while he will halt the fighting temporarily to facilitate the release of hostages, he will not end the war until Hamas has been defeated and disarmed.
Even then, he says Israel will maintain security control over Gaza and facilitate the relocation of much of its population to other countries through what he describes as voluntary emigration.
ABC/wires
