Israel withdraws its ground troops from southern Gaza

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 Israel has withdrawn most of its ground troops from southern Gaza, exactly six months after the beginning of its offensive following the Hamas attack on October 7.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 remained in Khan Younis, in charge of security of the “Netzarim corridor,” 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 development comes as pressure mounts on Britain to suspend arms sales to Israel after seven aid workers, including three Britons, were killed by the Israeli military. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told Sky News that Israel has made “big mistakes” during the conflict and that the UK has held them to a “very high standard”.

Dowden insisted that his government will not give “carte blanche” to Netanyahu and that he is holding “robust talks” with Tel Aviv.

He also stated that any halt in arms sales was the decision of the business secretary, Kemi Badenoch, on the advice of the foreign secretary, David Cameron, and that he “had not changed his advice” so far. 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 “dire” and that “the prospect of famine is real,” at a time when a Royal Navy ship was deployed to help bring “life-saving aid” 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 the occupying power, Israel has a responsibility to the people of Gaza,” Cameron 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.”

Following the troop withdrawal, Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman warned that Netanyahu would “absolutely” continue with a ground invasion of Rafah. “If we don’t go ahead with the invasion, we lose the war,” he added.

The White House indicated that the withdrawal of troops was probably so that they could “rest and recondition,” rather 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 tired,” National 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 regarding the Israeli hostages, as Netanyahu is “desperate” to reach an agreement. He is scheduled to resume talks in Cairo this Sunday.

Images from Khan Younis filmed this Sunday showed some Palestinians returning from a landscape marked by destroyed buildings and climbing over rubble to explore collapsed and dusty remains. There were overturned and charred cars.
As many as 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 Sunday 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 Katyusha rockets, which hit an air defense base in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

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