JERUSALEM / GAZA - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Saturday it issued call-up orders to tens of thousands of reservists in preparation for an escalation of its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

During a security briefing on Friday, the IDF outlined its expanded operational plans in Gaza to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The security cabinet is expected to meet on Sunday to vote on formally approving the plans, which Netanyahu has already greenlit.

Israeli media reported that the stated objective of the current campaign is to increase pressure on Hamas to agree to a hostage release deal, rather than to eliminate the Palestinian military group.

Israeli authorities have consistently cautioned that if no agreement is reached soon, a full-scale assault aimed at dismantling Hamas could begin. The forthcoming phase of the offensive will include IDF activity in additional areas of the Gaza Strip.

ALSO READ: Activist aid ship hit by drones on way to Gaza, NGO says

According to the IDF, the reservists being called up Saturday evening are expected to report for duty starting next week. Many of them have likely been mobilized multiple times for the conflict.

Meanwhile, The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released a new video on Saturday showing a hostage who appeared to have been injured in an alleged Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.

The footage showed masked militants inside an underground tunnel, shouting at the distressed-looking hostage.

"I am hostage number 24. We were bombed after the ceasefire ended, and we escaped death. That's why we went down into the tunnels. We were bombed again while underground," the captive said in the video.

ALSO READ: Israel's Gaza aid blockade contested in World Court hearings

The hostage criticized the strategy of the Israeli government, which he blamed for his current ordeal.

"My health is critical. There's no access to medication, and seeking medical help is impossible. I don't know what happened to my colleague," he added.

The individual urged Israelis to protest and pressure Netanyahu's administration to agree to a prisoner swap for his release and the other Israeli captives.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan identified the hostage as Maxim Herkin, who has been held in Gaza. This is the second video of Herkin released by Hamas.

ALSO READ: UN seeks World Court opinion on Israel's Palestinian aid obligations

Also on Saturday, dozens of journalists held a protest in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, urging the international community to protect media workers from repeated Israeli targeting.

The protest was organized by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate to mark World Press Freedom Day. The journalists gathered at the Nasser Medical Complex in the city and held up signs reading "Stop Killing Journalists."

In a speech during the protest, Tahseen Al-Astal, the syndicate's deputy head, accused Israel of committing "a crime against Palestinian journalists by directly killing them and destroying their homes."

Al-Astal considered the media situation in Gaza to be among "the most dangerous in the world, given the complete absence of any safety guarantees, the destruction of press institutions, and the deprivation of the most basic work tools."

READ MORE: WFP runs out of food stocks in Gaza with border crossings closed

Saying the Israeli occupation is fully responsible for these crimes, he called on international institutions to take serious action to "hold the killers accountable."

Since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, Israel has killed 212 journalists, injured 409, and arrested 48 others, the Hamas-run media office reported on Saturday.