Israel has ordered the mobilisation of 60,000 reservists in preparation for a major ground assault on Gaza City, a move that could displace hundreds of thousands and deepen the humanitarian crisis in the territory.

Military officials said Wednesday that the troops would report for duty in September, though most of the soldiers taking part in the offensive will be active-duty personnel. Five divisions are expected to push into areas where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have not yet operated, including parts of Zeitoun and Jabalia.

The plan, approved by Defence Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday, still requires endorsement from the security cabinet later this week. Katz was quoted in Israeli media as saying, “Once the operation is completed, Gaza will change its face and will no longer look as it did in the past.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that the offensive is aimed at both securing the release of hostages held by Hamas and ensuring the group’s defeat.

The IDF said the next stage of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, first launched in May, will involve “gradual, precise and targeted” operations. It also announced that 20,000 reservists already on active call would see their service extended.

As Israel prepares for its largest assault yet, international concern is mounting.

French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Wednesday that the offensive “can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war.” The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) echoed the alarm, saying an escalation “risks worsening an already catastrophic situation” for Gaza’s 2.1 million residents.

The United Nations human rights office said it had documented 54 Israeli attacks on residential buildings in Gaza City since 8 August. It warned that forcing civilians to flee south—into already overcrowded and ill-equipped shelters—could amount to forcible transfer, a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

The humanitarian toll is already severe. Gaza’s health ministry reported 21 deaths on Wednesday from Israeli strikes, including a family of five in Shati refugee camp. It also said three more people died from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of such deaths since October to 269, among them 112 children.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that malnutrition is rising at “emergency levels,” particularly among children and mothers. While Israel’s military body Cogat insists that “hundreds of lorry loads” of supplies are entering daily and food prices are falling, aid groups say the volume remains far from sufficient.

Meanwhile, mediators Qatar and Egypt continue to push for a 60-day truce and partial hostage release deal, which Hamas says it has already accepted. Israel has yet to respond formally, maintaining that only a comprehensive agreement involving all hostages would be acceptable.

With at least 62,122 Palestinians killed in Gaza since October, according to figures cited by the UN, and entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, fears are growing that a full-scale assault on Gaza City will leave little room for either humanitarian relief or a political resolution.