Israeli cabinet mobilizes 40,000 reservists to attack Gaza Strip

Amid escalating tensions in the Gaza Strip, Israel's security cabinet has decided to allow the army to mobilize up to 40,000 reservists to participate in the attack on the area.

Israeli media reported on July 8 that the country's military has no immediate plans to mobilize these reserve troops, but orders could be issued at any time if the offensive campaign needs to be expanded.

Israeli tanks deployed near the border with the Gaza Strip on July 8. (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

According to Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, this is part of an operation called "Protect the Border."

The operation is likely to be long-term and the Israeli army is allowed to fire back heavily at Hamas militants in retaliation for the movement's fierce airstrikes in recent days.

Meanwhile, speaking to the Walla! website, an unnamed Israeli official said the main objective of the operation was to destroy all of Hamas’ rocket launchers. The official also left open the possibility of using infantry in the attack plan.

The decision to use a large number of reservists was made just hours after Israel launched Operation Protective Edge earlier in the day in retaliation for rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.

Up to this point, the Israeli air force has struck more than 40 targets of the Hamas movement, including the private home of a commander of this force, causing dozens of casualties.

The Palestinian Interior Ministry confirmed that an airstrike on a house in the town of Khan Younis killed at least seven Palestinians and injured 25.

According to some locals, the house belonged to a member of the Hamas Islamist movement and most of the people in the house were killed or injured in the second airstrike.

So far, Israeli airstrikes have killed 13 Palestinians and injured 90. Gaza has been witnessing a surge in violence since three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and murdered in the West Bank city of Hebron, which Tel Aviv blames on Hamas.

Faced with the serious escalation of the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Arab League (AL) has called on the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency session to discuss Israel's bloody air campaign against the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, AL Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi instructed the AL representative to the United Nations to quickly conduct consultations within the Arab group to jointly propose an emergency meeting of the Security Council.

Mr. al-Arabi condemned Israel's airstrikes on Palestinian targets, saying that this action violates the Geneva Conventions, international humanitarian law and international resolutions on occupied Palestine. On the same day, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) announced that it would hold an extraordinary ministerial meeting on July 10 in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss Israel's offensive campaign./.

According to VNA