Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump on Sunday discussed Israel's planned Gaza offensive, as the Israel Defense Forces prepare to call up thousands of reservists for the new operation.
Netanyahu's office announced the call on Sunday evening, saying, "The two discussed Israel's plans for taking control of the remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza in order to bring about the end of the war, the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas."
"Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked President Trump for his steadfast support of Israel since the start of the war," the statement read.
The phone call came amid ongoing controversy over the new Israeli plan, which has drawn criticism within the coalition and the military, from hostage families and opposition leaders, and has resulted in international condemnation.
Reports of differences of opinion between Netanyahu and Trump have resurfaced, with NBC reporting last week that a recent phone conversation descended into shouting. According to reports, Trump chided Netanyahu for arguing over the degree of starvation in Gaza. The Prime Minister's Office called the report "total fake news."
Last Friday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said there had been "some disagreement" with Israel regarding its actions in Gaza, but added that Washington shared Jerusalem's overall goals.
"There are a lot of common objectives here. There is some disagreement about how exactly to accomplish those common objectives," Vance told reporters.
On Sunday, Netanyahu defended his decision to capture the remaining areas of the Gaza Strip in two press conferences – to the foreign and the local media – arguing that the operation would be a last push to "free Gaza from Hamas" and rescue the Israeli hostages.
Meanwhile, the IDF is preparing for another major offensive, which comes after Israeli forces had been readying themselves for a potential ceasefire agreement and had began releasing reserve soldiers.
According to Israeli media reports, Israel plans to give approximately 1 million residents of Gaza City and the central camps until Oct. 7 to evacuate.
The IDF has not yet issued concrete marching orders and is expected to be cautious in calling up reservists, as most combat reserve units have already been mobilized numerous times over the past two years and are fatigued, Ynet News reported.
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has underscored that reservists must be given proper rest and rotated, even if it extends the operation beyond the expected four to six months.
"The goal now is at least to inform reservists about expected changes in their call-up orders through the end of August," IDF officials told Ynet.
"Some reservists are scheduled for operational duties in Gaza or the West Bank in November–December, and they're in the dark about what the next few months will look like – for them and their families – after already giving close to a year in uniform since October 7. It's an unfair reality that's straining the army and disrupting their lives."
The readiness of the armored vehicles and ammunition, along with other equipment, needs to be evaluated before the start of the fighting.
IDF Southern Command is expected to transmit a preliminary outline for the operation to Zamir at the end of this week, and final orders are not expected before the end of the month.
Only after approval from the chief of staff will a full battle plan be approved by the Cabinet.
Republished with permission from Jewish News Syndicate