JERUSALEM, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday night that Israel was entering "the decisive stage" of the war in Gaza, seeking to rally support among reservists and counter reports of low turnout for the latest call-up.
In a video statement, Netanyahu addressed soldiers directly: "I want to strengthen you and express my deep appreciation," he said, adding that the military campaign had advanced Israel "toward a sweeping victory."
In the morning, Israel summoned about 40,000 reservists, the largest single call-up since the war began nearly two years ago, as part of its plan to capture Gaza City -- a move approved by Netanyahu's cabinet despite international warnings.
But turnout was reportedly lower than expected, according to state-owned Kan TV, which cited the strain and burden of repeated rounds of service.
The cabinet decision has also sparked dissent at home. More than 350 reservists announced in a letter on Tuesday that they would refuse to serve if ordered into Gaza.
At a news conference in Tel Aviv, they denounced the government's decision as reckless and vowed not to take part. Ron Feiner, a reservist and member of the antiwar group Standing Together, called the planned operation "blatantly illegal" and warned it would endanger hostages, soldiers and civilians alike. "This is a political, cynical and dangerous step, intended to serve an extremist minority rather than the security of Israel's citizens," he said.
Feiner noted that senior members of Israel's security establishment had also warned against the operation, citing the danger it posed to 50 hostages still held in Gaza, about 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive.
Meanwhile, the military continued the strikes throughout the Palestinian enclave and prepared for the new offensive on the territory's largest urban center.
Health authorities in the territory reported Tuesday that at least 76 people were killed and 281 injured by Israeli strikes and gunfire in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 63,633. Hospitals also recorded 13 deaths from famine and malnutrition, including three children, raising the total number of hunger-related deaths to 361, among them 130 children.
Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesman, urged civilians across the Gaza Strip to move to the Al-Mawasi area "ahead of the expansion of fighting into Gaza City."
"For your safety, we warn that approaching or returning to combat zones or to areas where the Israel Defense Forces are operating exposes you to danger," he wrote on the social media platform X.
Families of hostages, in a statement in English and Hebrew outside the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, urged U.S. President Donald Trump to press both Israel and Hamas to agree to a deal to stop the war and release the captives.
"It is hard to digest the news that Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, chose to prolong the war instead of making a deal that could have brought the hostages home," said Ruby Chen, whose son, Itay, was killed in Gaza and whose body is still held there.
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas have been stalled since mid-August, as Israel has yet to respond to a proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators that Hamas accepted about two weeks ago. ■