Jerusalem (Israel), August 6: Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced on Friday that up to 25,000 reservists will be called up to the border with the Gaza Strip in case of rocket firing from the Palestinian enclave.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military launched airstrikes against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an Islamist organization active in Gaza, killing at least 10, including a commander of the armed wing of the PIJ, and injuring 55, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the PIJ.
The reservists will be from the Home Front Command, the air force and the Southern Command, as well as troops in other combat and administrative roles, Gantz said.
The heightened tension came after Israeli forces arrested a senior official of the PIJ in the West Bank city of Jenin on Monday. The PIJ then vowed to take revenge, prompting the Israeli military to raise its alert along the border with Gaza.
Source: Xinhua
