Israel to summon 16,000 more reserve troops amid Gaza operation

Israeli soldiers stand at a staging area near the border with the Gaza Strip July 31, 2014.[Photo/Agencies]

JERUSALEM - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was instructed to summon 16,000 more reserve soldiers amid the ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of reserve soldiers to 86,000, Israeli media reported on Thursday.

The order, issued early Thursday, followed Wednesday's five- hour meeting of the cabinet, which voted to push forward and increase the military operation in Gaza, as Operation Protective Edge entered its 24th day on Thursday.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 1,360 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,600 injured, most of them civilians, in the hostilities.

Fifty-six Israeli soldiers have died and about 120 others wounded since the start of Israel's ground incursion into Gaza on July 17.

Three Israeli civilians have been killed in rocket attacks in the past three weeks, with Hamas and other militant groups firing more than 2,680 rockets into Israel.