Israel withdraws troops from southern Gaza Strip

Tel Aviv. Israel has withdrawn most of its ground troops from southern Gaza, exactly six months after the beginning of its offensive following the Hamas attack on October 7.

Only one brigade was left in Khan Yunis in charge of the security of the Netzarim broker, which divides the strip, according to local reports. It was unclear whether the withdrawal will delay the raid on the southern city of Rafah, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says is necessary to eliminate Hamas.

The incident comes as pressure on Britain to suspend arms sales to Israel increases after seven aid workers, including three Britons, were killed by Israeli soldiers. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told Sky News that Israel had committed big mistakes during the conflict and that the United Kingdom has measured them with a very high standard. Dowden insisted that his government will not give White card to Netanyahu and who maintains robust conversations with Tel Aviv.

He also specified that any halt in arms sales was the decision of the business secretary, Kemi Badenoch, on the advice of the foreign minister, David Cameron, and that he he had not changed his advice Until now. However, Cameron warned that British support for Israel is not unconditional and that Palestinians in Gaza are on the brink of famine.

He added that the situation in Gaza is disastrous and? the prospect of famine is realat a time when a Royal Navy ship was assigned to help carry life saving help to the strip. Of course, our support is not unconditional: we hope that such a proud and successful democracy will be governed by international humanitarian law, even when challenged in this way. As an occupying power, Israel has a responsibility to the people of GazaCameron wrote in the Sunday Times.

Israel had planned a ground invasion of Rafah, due to its claim that the southern city, near the border with Egypt, is a swarm of remnant Hamas strongholds. However, the city has become the last refuge for more than a million Palestinians sheltering from Israeli bombings elsewhere. The United Nations has warned that an assault on Rafah would lead to a massacre.

After the troop withdrawal, Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman warned that Netanyahu would continue absolutely with an invasion of Rafah by land. If we don’t go ahead with the invasion, we lose the warhe added.

The White House indicated that the troop withdrawal was probably so that they could rest and reconditionmore than an action aimed at a new operation. They have been on the ground for four months; what we have been told is that they are tiredNational Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC. However, a senior Israeli government source told Sky News that the withdrawal is likely linked to ongoing negotiations with Hamas over Israeli hostages, as Netanyahu is desperate to reach an agreement. Talks were scheduled to resume in Cairo this Sunday.

Desolate landscape

Footage from Khan Yunis filmed yesterday showed some Palestinians returning from a landscape marked by shattered buildings and climbing over rubble to explore collapsed and dusty remains. There were overturned and charred cars.

Up to 33,137 Palestinians have died in Gaza since October 7, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled strip. The government does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths, but says women and children make up two-thirds of deaths.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military declared yesterday that it had completed another step in preparation for a possible war on its northern border, where it has been exchanging fire with Hezbollah for six months. They earlier launched airstrikes in eastern Lebanon, hitting Hezbollah infrastructure sites, after the Iran-backed group shot down an Israeli drone.

Hezbollah claimed to have launched dozens of rockets Katyushawhich hit an air defense base in the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel.

Israeli projectiles have killed around 270 Hezbollah fighters and around 50 civilians, security sources say, and displaced around 90,000 people in southern Lebanon. On the other side, some 60,000 Israelis have been evacuated from the northern border area, and 18 people, including civilians and soldiers, have died, according to Israeli accounts.

© The Independent

Translation: Jorge Anaya