Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz has approved the military's plan for an expanded invasion of Gaza. One million Palestinians living in Gaza City are expected to be displaced. Israel now controls 75 percent of the Gaza Strip.

Around 60,000 reservists are being called up for the planned siege, according to sources. Times of Israel The reserve troops will be given at least two weeks' notice before being called up and the majority will be active duty military personnel.

"When the operation is over, Gaza will have changed and will no longer look the same," Defense Minister Israel Katz said, according to the Associated Press. Haaretz .

On Wednesday, the first stage of the invasion began, according to Effie Defrin, a spokeswoman for the IDF.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also ordered that the timetable for defeating Hamas and taking control of its strongholds be shortened.

IDF plan to take control of Gaza City to be presented to Netanyahu tomorrow, military officials say The Times of Israel.

Gazans have now received calls from the Israeli military to leave the area, writes Al Jazeera.

Macron: “A disaster”

The offensive has been condemned by large parts of the world.

In a statement also supported by Egypt and Jordan, French President Emmanuel Macron writes that the risk is permanent war.

"The military offensive in Gaza that Israel is preparing can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war," Macron wrote.

The Red Cross warns that further displacement and aggression from Israel “risks worsening an already catastrophic situation” for the people of Gaza.

Ceasefire negotiation

Mediators from Qatar and Egypt have been trying to broker a ceasefire agreement before Israel's invasion of Gaza City.

The proposal on the table involves a 60-day pause in the fighting and the release of half of the hostages, around 25 people, writes BBC.

Hamas accepted the proposal on Monday but Israel has not responded. Israel has said it will only accept the release of the entire hostages.

Smotrich: “Eradicate the Palestinian state”

On On Wednesday, Israel also approved a settlement plan which had previously been frozen after criticism from the US and Europe.

The so-called E1 project involves the construction of 3,400 new homes. The housing area would cut through the occupied West Bank and isolate it from East Jerusalem.

“With E1, we are finally delivering what has been promised for years. The Palestinian state is being eradicated, not with slogans but with action,” says ultranationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemns the project, saying it would isolate Palestinian communities in the area and make it difficult for a two-state solution.

A spokesperson for the German government calls it a violation of international law.

Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. Israel disputes the criticism, citing historical and biblical ties.