The Israeli army called up thousands of reserve troops on Wednesday in preparation for a possible attack on Gaza City, as the Israeli government considers a new proposal for a ceasefire after nearly two years of war.

The call-up signals Israel is pressing ahead with its plan to take control of Gaza's biggest urban hub despite international criticism of an operation likely to force the displacement of many more Palestinians, reports Reuters.

But a military official briefing reporters said reserve soldiers would not report for duty until September, a move that gives mediators some time to bridge gaps between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel over ceasefire terms.

The official said that as part of planning for a new offensive in Gaza there would be five divisions operating in the enclave but most reservists were not expected to serve in combat in Gaza City.

"We will be moving into a new phase of combat, a gradual, precise and targeted operation in and around Gaza City, which currently serves as Hamas' main military and governing stronghold," the official said.

Israel’s security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, approved a plan this month to expand the campaign in Gaza, with the aim of seizing Gaza City.

Many of Israel’s closest allies have urged the government to reconsider but Netanyahu is under pressure from some far-right members of his coalition to reject a temporary ceasefire, continue the war and pursue the annexation of Gaza.

The war began on October 7, 2023 when gunmen led by Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages including children into Gaza.

Over 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's campaign, according to Gaza health officials, who do not say how many were militants but have said most of those killed have been women and children.

Hamas has accepted a proposal put forward by Arab mediators for a 60-day ceasefire that would involve releasing some of the hostages and freeing Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

The Israeli government, which has said all the 50 remaining hostages must be released at once, is studying the proposal. Israeli authorities believe that 20 hostages are still alive.

Many Gazans and foreign leaders fear an assault on Gaza City would cause significant casualties. Israel says it will help civilians leave battle zones before any assault begins.

MSH

At least 34 people, including two babies were killed when a contraband fuel depot exploded into flames in southern Benin near the border with Nigeria on Saturday.

According to Beninese Interior Minister Alassane Seidou, “a serious fire occurred in the town of Seme Podji. Another 20 people were seriously wounded in the incident.”

"I can't really give you the cause of the fire, but there is a large gasoline warehouse here and cars, tricycles and motorcycles come from morning to evening,” he added.

Nigeria is a main oil and gas producer where fuel smuggling is very common along its borders, particularly when the government maintains a subsidy to keep fuel prices low.

The majority of the victims were burnt and they could not be not be identified.

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for 'lorem ipsum' will uncover many web sites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years, sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like).