Israel calls up reservists as it pushes into first stage of Gaza City offensive

Israeli soldiers move on armoured personnel carriers near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

Israel began mobilising tens of thousands of reservists and repeated evacuation warnings as part of its plan to widen its offensive in Gaza City, which has sparked opposition domestically and condemnation abroad.

The beginning of September call-up, announced last month, comes as ground and air forces press forward and pursue more targets in northern and central Gaza, striking parts of Zeitoun and Shijaiyah — two western Gaza City neighbourhoods that Israeli forces have repeatedly invaded during the nearly two-year war against Hamas militants.