Israel recalls tens of thousands of reservists for its offensive in Gaza, according to media – the express

On March 18, the Israeli army resumed its daily strikes followed by terrestrial operations in the Gaza Strip, ending two months of truce in the war launched by an unprecedented attack on the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the south of Israel on October 7, 2023.

On Saturday, eleven Palestinians, including three young children were killed in an Israeli strike in the city of Khan Younès, in the south of the Palestinian territory besieged and devastated, according to the local civil defense.

The Israeli army began to send mobilization orders to reservists these days, providing for tens of thousands with a view to expanding its offensive against Hamas, several Israeli media reported.

According to this information given in the same terms by several military correspondents, including that of the army radio, these reservists will have to replace called or active soldiers across the country as well as in the occupied West Bank so that they can be sent to fight in Gaza.

Questioned by AFP, a military spokesperson has neither confirmed nor denied this information. Relatives of AFP journalists have already received their Drive 8 (Mobilization order).

The government of Benjamin Netanyahu constantly affirms that military pressure is the only way to force Hamas to release the hostages removed during the attack on October 7 which also led to the death of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures.

Of the 251 people kidnapped that day, 58 are still retained in Gaza, 34 of which were declared dead by the Israeli army.

In retaliation, Israel has sworn to destroy Hamas, which took power in Gaza in 2007, and launched an air campaign and a major terrestrial offensive which left at least 52,495 dead, mostly civilians, in Palestinian territory, according to figures from the Ministry of Hamas, deemed reliable by the UN.

– Prisoner number 24 –

The announcement of a reminder of reservists by the media intervened after the Ezzedine al-Qassam brigades, an armed branch of Hamas, broadcast a video in which a lying man appears, his head and the left arm covered with bandages with brown tasks.

Speaking Hebrew with Russian accent, man in recording presents himself as Prisoner number 24 And suggests that he was injured in an Israeli bombardment.

AFP, like most Israeli media, has identified hostage as Maxim Herkin, who will be 37 years old at the end of May, but has no way of checking his state of health.

His family published a press release asking the media not to broadcast the video.

Speaking under stress like all the hostages appearing in previous videos, the man refers to the fact that Israel will soon celebrate the anniversary of his creation.

This suggests that the video was shot shortly before May 1, the date on which Israel celebrated according to the Jewish calendar the 77th anniversary of its creation, May 15, 1948.

On Saturday evening, a few thousand Israelis brandishing portraits of hostages again gathered in Tel Aviv to claim from their government that it acts to obtain their release.

Saturday before dawn, 11 Palestinians, including a one -year -old girl and boy, as well as a one -month -old infant, were killed in a Bombing of the home of the Al-Bayram family in Khan Younès (South)MAHMOUD BASSAL, spokesperson for civil defense, told AFP.

In the light of torches, rescuers and civilians searched with bare hands in the rubble to extract victims, according to AFP images. One two leaves by carrying the inanimate body of a very young child.

I saw a brilliant light, then there was an explosion and the dust has everything covered. We didn’t see anything anymore. Our windows have been blown away and our rooms destroyedsaid Fayka Abu Hatab, a neighbor.

The Israeli army confirmed the strike indicating having targeted A Hamas terrorist.

Israel besieges the approximately 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and has been preventing the entry of all humanitarian aid in this territory since March 2, vital for the population faced with a catastrophic humanitarian situation and exposed to famine according to UN officials.