New Israeli Call-up Presages Fight to Finish

Rather than declaring a ceasefire, the Israeli army announced on Thursday that it is issuing call-up orders for an additional 16,000 reservists, signaling a decision by the political echelon to press on until the goals of its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, Operation Protective Edge, are met. The new call-up will bring the total number of reservists activated to about 86,000. Jerusalem is under intense international pressure to wrap up its mission to silence the near-steady flow of Hamas rockets into the Israeli heartland and to detect and destroy a vast network of tunnels built beneath Gaza — and in some cases extending beneath Israeli territory — that are used to stage terrorist attacks. Domestic support for the military action remains strong, with most Israelis believing it’s better to stay the course despite the mounting casualties rather than invade Gaza again in a year or two. On Wednesday, three soldiers died when the building they were operating in collapsed on them after a booby-trap bomb exploded. On Thursday morning, 15 Palestinians who were seeking refuge in a United Nations-run building were injured by shrapnel when Israeli forces shelled the mosque next door. As of Thursday, the 24th day of the operation, 1,360 Palestinians and 59 Israelis have died.