Tel Aviv, Aug. 21 -- Israel has announced that it has begun the first stage of an ground operations aimed at capturing and controlling Gaza City, triggering a mass exodus of remaining civilians towards the south. The military has also called up 60,000 reservists to support the offensive.

"We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City," Brigadier General Effie Defrin, the Israeli military spokesperson, said on Wednesday, August 20, Reuters reported.

The move has drawn international criticism. French President Emmanuel Macron warned it risked disaster and regional instability, while United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterre...