Israeli military withdraws most ground troops from southern Gaza
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An Israeli tank near the Israel-Gaza border.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JERUSALEM – The Israeli military has withdrawn more ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip, leaving just one brigade there six months after the start of its offensive, a spokesman said on April 7.
The military, which has been reducing numbers in Gaza since the start of 2024 to relieve reservists, said a “significant force” will keep operating elsewhere in the besieged Palestinian territory, able “to conduct precise intelligence based operations”.
The withdrawal comes as Egypt prepares to host a new round of talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
It was unclear whether the withdrawal would delay a long-threatened incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which Israeli leaders have said is needed to eliminate the militant group Hamas.
Palestinian residents of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, which has come under Israeli bombardment in recent months, said they have seen Israeli forces leaving the centre of the city and retreating to the eastern districts.
The army said it withdrew its forces from southern Gaza after months of fighting there left Khan Younis, home town of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in ruins.
“The 98th commando division has concluded its mission in Khan Younis,” the army told Agence France-Presse. “The division left the Gaza Strip in order to recuperate and prepare for future operations.”
An army official told the Haaretz daily that the troops pulled out after they had “dismantled Hamas’ Khan Younis brigades and killed thousands of its members”.
“We did everything we could there,” he said.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched after Hamas’ attack on Israel six months ago on Oct 7,
More than 250 hostages were seized and some 1,200 people were killed during the Oct 7 attack, according to Israeli tallies. More than 33,100 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.
Rafah has become the last refuge for more than a million Palestinians sheltering in the territory near the border with Egypt.
Focus on Lebanon, Iran
Six months of combat in Gaza has strained the Israeli military and the country’s economy. Many Israeli security experts say they now see a greater threat from the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel is also on alert for a possible retaliatory attack from Iran in reaction to the killing of Iranian generals on April 1.
Israel’s overall Gaza troop drawdown comes amid increased pressure from the US, where President Joe Biden has demanded that Israel improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza and work towards a ceasefire
That was the first time Mr Biden, a staunch supporter of Israel, has sought to leverage US aid as a way to influence Israeli military behaviour.
He has also urged the leaders of Egypt and Qatar to pressure Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal ahead of a fresh round of talks in Cairo.
More than 130 hostages are still in captivity in Gaza, and Israel says it will not stop its offensive until all of them are returned. REUTERS
