Israel prepares for 'significant ground operation'

Israel is completing preparations for a "significant ground operation" in the Gaza Strip, an army spokesperson said in a statement.

The army is readying to "expand the offensive" by implementing a "wide range of offensive operational plans" which it says include a "joint and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land".

The statement said Israel was finalising the draft of hundreds of thousands of reservists, as it works to provide troops with all the equipment they would need for the expected ground offensive.

"[Army] battalions and soldiers are deployed all over the country and are prepared to increase readiness for the next stages of the war, with an emphasis on a significant ground operation," the statement added.