Family members of Israeli hostages and their supporters marched on Wednesday near the border with Gaza, calling on Israel's government to reach a hostage deal.

Israel's military said Wednesday it would call up tens of thousands of reservists and extend the service of others for an expanded military operation in Gaza City.

Defense Minister Israel Katz approved plans to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza’s most densely populated areas, Israel’s military said Wednesday.

The scheme, expected to receive the final approval from the chief of staff in the coming days, includes calling up 60,000 reservists and extending the service of an additional 20,000 currently serving.

In a country of fewer than 10 million people, the call-up of so many reservists carries both economic and political weight and comes days after hundreds of thousands rallied for a ceasefire.

This comes as negotiators scramble to bring Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire ending 22 months of fighting, while international leaders and rights groups warn an expanded assault could deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, with most residents displaced, neighborhoods in ruins, and communities facing the threat of famine.

Hamas-led militants started the war when they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251.

Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Hamas says it will only free the rest in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

More than 62,122 people have been killed during Israel's 22-month offensive, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The ministry does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up around half of them.

In addition to that toll, 154 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since late June, when the ministry began counting such deaths, and 112 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began.

AP Video by Moshe Edri