JERUSALEM

The Israeli army on Monday announced plans to call up reservists who were exempted from duty in the past years amid shortage in the troops.

Releasing a statement on the matter, the army said the move was ordered by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant "in the light of the situation assessment and the scale of activity of regular and reserve forces" and as part of the army's plan to increase the number of soldiers in service.

The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said it was due to the shortage in the troops, adding that its target was to redraft 15,000 Israelis exempted from reservist service.

In June, the Israeli government approved a bill to temporarily extend the retirement age for army reservists.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

The Israeli onslaught has since killed over 40,130 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 92,740, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar