As the earliest stages of a massive assault on Gaza City take shape, Israel is calling up tens of thousands of reservists to take part in the impending military operation.

Israel’s military announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City on Wednesday and called up tens of thousands of reservists while the government considered a new ceasefire proposal to pause nearly two years of war.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that it is calling up tens of thousands of reservists before the expanded military incursion into Gaza City, even as the country’s government is considering a proposal for a ceasefire with Palestinian militant group Hamas.