Tel Aviv, Aug. 18 -- An Israeli parliamentary committee narrowly approved on Monday the extension of emergency powers to summon reservists, authorising the military to call up as many as 430,000 soldiers as the war in Gaza intensifies.

The Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee voted 8-7 in favour of the measure, after the coalition failed to secure a majority last week. The order replaces one that expired in May and will remain in force until September 4. Although the authorization covers hundreds of thousands, far fewer are expected to be mobilized.

The vote came amid mounting political tension over long-standing exemptions for Orthodox Jewish men. Opposition lawmakers accused the government of exhausting reservists who have ...