Key Points

The military said on Wednesday that Defence Minister Israel Katz approved plans to begin operations in some of Gaza's most densely populated areas, and that it would call up 60,000 reservists and lengthen the service of an additional 20,000 reservists.

The announcement comes as human rights groups warn that a humanitarian crisis could worsen in Gaza, where most residents have been displaced multiple times, neighbourhoods lie in ruins, and starvation deaths continue to rise amid the threat of widescale famine.

An Israeli military official told journalists that the new phase of combat would involve "a gradual precise and targeted operation in and around Gaza City," including some areas where forces had not previously operated. The official added that the military had already begun operating in the neighbourhoods of Zeitoun and Jabalia as part of the initial stages.

Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from central Gaza, said residents are bracing for the worst as Israel pursues its plan to seize Gaza's largest city, in an operation that could displace hundreds of thousands of people to concentration zones in the south of the territory.

Abu Azzoum said Israeli artillery has flattened rows of homes in eastern Gaza City as attacks intensified across densely populated areas. "Last night was completely sleepless as Israeli drones and warplanes filled the skies, attacking and destroying homes and makeshift camps," he said.

He also described how a father in al-Mawasi, an Israeli-designated so-called safe zone in southern Gaza, lost his children in an overnight strike. "He told us his children were sleeping peacefully when the Israeli missile tore through the tent and ripped their bodies apart," Al Jazeera reported.

At least 35 Palestinians, including 10 people seeking aid, were killed in Israeli attacks on Wednesday, according to medical sources.

Israel's plan to escalate its assault coincides with renewed mediation efforts led by Qatar and Egypt, with backing from the United States. The latest framework calls for a 60-day truce, a staggered exchange of captives and Palestinian prisoners, and expanded aid access.

While Qatar said the proposal was "almost identical" to a version Israel had previously accepted, Egypt stressed that "the ball is now in its (Israel's) court."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly commented on the proposal. Last week, he insisted any deal must ensure "all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war."

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said his movement "opened the door wide to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but the question remains whether Netanyahu will once again close it, as he has done in the past."

The truce push comes amid mounting international criticism of Israel's conduct in the war and growing domestic pressure on Netanyahu.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health has said at least 62,064 Palestinians have been killed since Israel's war on Gaza started on October 7, 2023, most of them civilians. The United Nations regards the ministry's figures as credible.

Al Jazeera reported that the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate amid ongoing attacks.

- ANI