JERUSALEM

At least 30 Israeli paratrooper reservists have refused to answer their call-up to participate in a planned ground attack in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media on Sunday.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that the reservists said they didn’t feel able to take part in their duties.

According to the report, army commanders will not force the reservists to show up to fight in Rafah.

Despite international warnings about a planned Israeli invasion of Rafah, the Israeli army insists on going ahead with attacking the tiny city, which is home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians.

Last week, an Israeli government spokesperson said Netanyahu set a date for invading Rafah, the last remaining area in Gaza where Israel has not yet formally announced the entry of its troops to continue the onslaught against Palestinians.

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,400 Palestinians have since been killed and thousands injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala