Israel mobilises 16,000 more reservists as Gaza operations continue: Spokesman

An Israeli soldier sits on top of a Merkava tank along the border between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, on July 30, 2014, after returning from combat in the Palestinian enclave. -- PHOTO: AFP
An Israeli soldier sits on top of a Merkava tank along the border between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, on July 30, 2014, after returning from combat in the Palestinian enclave. -- PHOTO: AFP

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel mobilised 16,000 additional reservists, taking their total to 86,000, as military operations in the Gaza Strip continue, an army spokesman said on Thursday.

"The army has issued 16,000 additional mobilisation orders to allow troops on the ground to rest, which takes the total number of reservists to 86,000," said the spokesman.

Israel's security cabinet, which met for five hours on Wednesday, unanimously decided to pursue attacks against Hamas "terrorist targets" and other operations to destroy a network of tunnels used by the Islamist movement between Gaza and Israel, public radio said.

Another meeting of the cabinet, which comprises eight ministers, will be held on Thursday afternoon, the radio added.

Public radio quoted Major General Sami Turgeman, the senior officer for the Gaza region, as saying that the destruction of militants' remaining tunnels into Israel could be complete "in a few days".

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