Israel has called up to active duty tens of thousands of reservists to support the offensive, but many have delayed responding to the move, The Times of Israel reported on Tuesday.
The mobilization of about 60,000 reservists is the IDF's largest since the start of the war in Gaza, with between 40,000 and 50,000 called up on Tuesday.
Many reservists have sought exemptions due to personal reasons, such as the start of the Israeli school year on Monday.
Hundreds also have refused the call of duty and signed a letter accusing the IDF of illegally targeting Gaza City during the current military offensive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied the offensive is illegal in a video statement on Tuesday, according to Israel National News.
"We are fighting a stubborn and just war without peer," Netanyahu said.
"We do not forget for a moment what they did to us on Oct.7, the beheadings, the women who were raped, the babies who were burned and the hostages who were taken into the tunnels in Gaza," he continued. "We are working to bring them back."
Netanyahu cited other regional factors, such as Iran's influence among Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthis in Yemen, and conflicts with them.
"But what began in Gaza must end in Gaza," the prime minister said.
The relatively slow response by reservists has led to smaller sizes for battalions, companies and platoons, but many volunteers have helped to fill the gap, according to The Times of Israel.
The Gaza City offensive already has seen IDF ground forces nearing the boundaries of the largest urban area in the Gaza Strip, which Israeli military leaders say is a Hamas stronghold, the BBC reported.
Aerial and artillery bombardments have preceded the advance of IDF ground troops and killed more than 50 Palestinians since midnight, according to local hospital officials, as reported by the BBC.
They did not say if the casualties are civilian, Hamas fighters or a mix of the two.
The IDF had ordered Gaza City residents to evacuate ahead of the offensive.
About 20,000 have done so over the past two weeks, according to the United Nations, but about a million remain in the city.
While Israel has launched the Gaza City offensive, French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron has called on the United States to end its ban on visas for Palestinian officials ahead of the U.N. General Assembly that starts on Sept. 9 at the U.N. headquarters in New York City.
Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia are scheduled to co-chair a conference to discuss a two-state solution on Sept. 22.
The French prime minister said it is "unacceptable" for the United States to deny visas for Palestinians, according to Haaretz.
He said the 1947 U.N. charter prohibits denying access to U.N. headquarters, especially when they are invited.
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