Israel calls up 75,000 army reservists for Gaza war

Israel has called up about 75,000 army reservists, amid increasing signs that Tel Aviv is preparing for a full ground invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip.

Late on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a four-hour emergency meeting with a number of senior ministers in Tel Aviv on widening the military offensive in Gaza, Reuters reported.

Netanyahu consulted with other cabinet ministers on the issue by telephone.

The ministers approved the call-up of up to 75,000 army reservists.

Earlier in the day, Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Qandil visited Gaza and condemned the Israeli aggression against the people of Gaza.

“Egypt will spare no effort… to stop the aggression and to achieve a truce,” Qandil said as he visited injured residents at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital.

Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and artillery fire have left 35 Palestinians, including 8 children and a pregnant woman, dead and over 300 others injured since November 10. Some of the injured are in critical condition.

The Israeli military frequently carries out airstrikes and other attacks on the Gaza Strip, saying the actions are being conducted for defensive purposes. However, disproportionate force is always used, in violation of international law, and civilians are often killed or injured.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.