Beirut, Aug 21: Israel’s defence minister has approved a plan for the conquest of Gaza City and authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists, his ministry confirmed on Wednesday, as reported by the news agency AFP.Defence Minister Israel Katz’s move, confirmed to AFP, piled pressure on Hamas as mediators pushing for a ceasefire in the nearly two-year war in Gaza awaited an official Israeli response on their latest proposal.
While mediator Qatar had expressed guarded optimism over the latest proposal, a senior Israeli official told AFP that the government stood firm on its call for the release of all hostages in any agreement.