Israel under pressure over Gaza plan

Tel Aviv [Israel], August 11: Israel's Channel 13 reported on August 10 that the Israeli government is expected to approve a plan to mobilize up to 430,000 reserve troops to prepare for the goal of controlling Gaza City.
Faced with the situation, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is said to have requested a new election amid growing disagreement within the Israeli cabinet over the direction of the conflict in Gaza , according to Kan Television on August 10. "In my opinion, we can stop everything and let the people decide," Mr. Smotrich said.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority on the morning of August 10 described Israel's plan as "an unprecedented challenge and provocation to the international will to achieve peace and stability".\
The Palestinian Authority also called on the international community and the United Nations to pressure Israel to stop fighting and allow aid to flow into the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Hamas on August 9 expressed its desire to reach an agreement with Israel on a ceasefire in Gaza, saying it had offered "every possible flexibility" through Egyptian and Qatari mediators, according to The National .
In another development, on August 9, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the capital Tel Aviv and cities across Israel to call on the government to speed up the hostage exchange and end the fighting in Gaza. Israeli officials did not release an estimate of the size of the protest, but media reported that as many as 100,000 people took to the streets.
According to The Times of Israel, many protesters called on Israeli soldiers to refuse to engage in fighting, and mobilized business leaders, unions and schools to stage a widespread strike to put pressure on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper