Jerusalem. The Israeli army withdrew more ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip, leaving only one brigade there six months after the start of its offensive, a spokesman for the force reported this Sunday.
The army has been reducing troops in Gaza since the beginning of the year to relieve reservists and under increasing pressure from its ally Washington to improve the humanitarian situation. He did not give details about the reasons for the withdrawal of soldiers or the number of troops.
Meanwhile, Egypt is preparing to host a new round of talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement and hostage release, which both Israel and Hamas said they would attend.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not bow to international pressure or the “extreme demands” of Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza.
It was unclear whether the withdrawal would delay a long-threatened incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which Netanyahu says is necessary to eliminate Hamas.
Palestinian residents of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, which has been the target of Israeli bombardment in recent months, said they had seen Israeli forces abandon the city center and retreat to the eastern districts.
The Israeli offensive, launched after the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, has focused in recent months on the southern Gaza Strip.
More than 250 hostages were captured and some 1,200 people were killed during the Oct. 7 attack, according to Israeli counts. More than 33,100 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Rafah has become the last refuge for more than a million Palestinian refugees in the territory near the border with Egypt.
#Israeli #army #reducing #troops #southern #Gaza
– 2024-04-14 09:09:21
