The orders that will be sent starting this evening will call for reservists to report to their units starting in the middle of this coming week, that is, in a few days. Many reservists will be sent to serve on the Lebanese border, in Syria or Judea and Samaria, with the aim of freeing up regular forces from there - who will be transferred to fight in the Gaza Strip.

The IDF says ahead of the expansion of the maneuver: "We see no other choice, the pressure on Hamas will increase in a gradual and planned operation. The purpose of the reservist mobilization is to increase military pressure, due to Hamas' refusal to return the kidnapped."

The IDF believes that Hamas still has organized forces that function as brigades with command and control, mainly in the Gaza City area, the central camps and Khan Yunis. In the rest of the Gaza Strip, Hamas operates as local frameworks.