IDF Calls Up 300,000 Reservists as War Front Expands
Israel intensifies its military efforts, recruiting a vast number of reservists to deal with the widening conflict
As the Israel-Hamas war progresses, the casualties in Israel keep soaring to over 800 civilians dead and more than 2,200 wounded, according to the latest report of the Israeli government. The Government Press Office said on Monday that the number of kidnapped in the Gaza Strip stands at over 100, including Israeli soldiers and civilians. Among the missing people, there are Israelis with dual citizenship from the United States, Argentina, Mexico, and other countries. The families of the missing are calling on those governments to demand their release.
The Israeli military spokesman also announced that all the communities that suffered incursions in the Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip are secured but added that there may be additional Hamas gunmen inside of Israel.
Maj. Nir Dinar, head of the International Press Department in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, told The Media Line that the border with Gaza is still not sealed and that the Israeli security forces are attempting to prevent additional gunmen from crossing it.
The third day of the war also saw heavy rocket attacks from Gaza into Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It is estimated that over 4,000 missiles have been launched into Israeli territory since Saturday morning.
According to Dinar, the Israeli army has launched hundreds of airstrikes against Hamas infrastructure targets inside the Gaza Strip. The death toll in Gaza stands at over 400, According to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The Israeli Defense Forces have recruited over 300,000 reservists in the last 48 hours to join the battlefields in the South and strengthen the army bases on the northern border of the country with Lebanon from where a few missiles were fired into Israel on Monday. The military’s Home Front Command has ordered the residents of 28 towns in the North of Israel to remain in the bomb shelters until further notice.
Hundreds of families in Israel are still desperate for information on the whereabouts of their loved ones, who were in the neighboring towns from Gaza at the time of the incursion. The Israeli government has not yet provided most of them with information about their family members. Dinar says that the current lack of information is due to the ongoing security threat that the Israeli army is attempting to counter.
“The army is in a difficult situation, it suffered the worst attack on Israeli communities, and Israeli military personnel are working very, very hard to bring back security stability to the region. Once we are finished doing that, … we’ll do our best to help everyone including civilians and others to reach their families, find the captives, and bring them back home,” he said.
