The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday night that it was sending out tens of thousands of call-up orders to reservists, as the military was set to significantly expand its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The tens of thousands of reservists being called up would begin to show up in the military in the coming week, according to the IDF. The reservists have likely been called up multiple times already during the war.

On Friday, during a security consultation, the military presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with its planned staged offensive in Gaza, which will require substantial mobilization.

Israel’s security cabinet was slated to convene on Sunday so ministers could vote to approve the military plans authorized by Netanyahu.

Currently, three IDF divisions are operating in Gaza, in an offensive that the military has said is aimed at pressuring Hamas back into a hostage deal, and not destroying the terror group.

Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that if no hostage deal is reached soon, the military would launch a major offensive aimed at defeating Hamas. The intensified offensive would see the IDF operating in new areas of the Strip.

The military said that the pressure on........

© The Times of Israel