Following a clash with Hamas south of Khan Younis in the
strip on Wednesday, he said, "We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza
City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist
organization."
Defrin said troops had already begun circling the outskirts
of Gaza City and Hamas was now a "battered and bruised" guerrilla
force.
"We have begun the preliminary operations and the first
stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the
outskirts of Gaza City," he said.
Israel's military called up tens of thousands of
reservists on Wednesday in preparation for the expected assault on Gaza City,
as the Israeli government considered a new proposal for a ceasefire after
nearly two years of war.
The call-up signals Israel is pressing ahead with its plan
to seize Gaza's biggest urban centre despite international criticism of an
operation likely to force the displacement of many more Palestinians.
But a military official briefing reporters said reserve
soldiers would not report for duty until September, an interval that gives
mediators some time to bridge gaps between Palestinian militant group Hamas and
Israel over truce terms.
Israeli troops clashed on Wednesday with more than 15 Hamas
militants who emerged from tunnel shafts and attacked with gunfire and
anti-tank missiles near Khan Younis, south of Gaza City, severely wounding one
soldier and lightly wounding two others, an Israeli military official said.
In a statement, Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed carrying
out a raid on Israeli troops southeast of Khan Younis and engaging Israeli
troops at point-blank range. It said one fighter blew himself up among the
soldiers, causing casualties, during an attack that lasted several hours.
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