TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – Thousands of Israeli soldiers are being evacuated from the Gaza Strip on Monday, as the military continues its squeeze on major cities in the southern half of the strip, in the first major troop reduction since the war began. announced. enclave.
The troop movements may signal a decline in fighting in some areas of Gaza, particularly in the northern half, where the military says it is close to seizing operational control.
Israel is under pressure from its main ally, the United States, to start switching to lower-intensity combat.
News of the funding cuts was announced ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to the region and after the Biden administration. evaded parliament for the second time It is expected to approve an emergency arms sale to Israel this month.
However, heavy fighting continued in other parts of Gaza, particularly in the southern city of Khan Yunis and in the center of the territory.
Israel has vowed to charge until its war objectives are achieved, including the dismantling of Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 16 years.
Five brigades, or thousands of troops, will be withdrawn from Gaza in the coming weeks for training and rest, the military said in a statement on Monday.
At a press conference on Sunday, where he first announced the troop withdrawal without disclosing how many troops would be withdrawn, military spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said the decision meant Israel was entering a new phase of the war. He did not say whether or not.
“The objectives of war require long-term combat, and we are preparing accordingly.”
Israel has vowed to crush Hamas' military and governance capabilities in the Hamas war. October 7 attack by extremist group 1,200 people died in southern Israel. Approximately 240 people were taken hostage.
Israel responded: Fierce attack by air, land, and sea More than 21,800 people have died in Gaza, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, and the numbers do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
Israel announced, without providing evidence, that more than 8,000 terrorists had been killed. The government blames Hamas for the high number of civilian deaths and says the extremists are hiding in residential areas such as schools and hospitals.
The war has forced about 85% of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million residents to flee, forcing people to seek refuge in safe areas designated by Israel but still bombed by the military.
Palestinians are left with the feeling that nowhere in the region is safe. small enclave.
battle of the south
In Khan Younis, where Israel is said to have thousands of troops stationed, residents reported airstrikes and shelling in the west and center of the city. The military and the Islamic Jihad militant group reported clashes in the area.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced on X (formerly Twitter) that a strike occurred on Beach Street in Khan Younis late on Sunday, and several casualties were taken away. He posted footage from the night of medical workers transporting injured people to ambulances.
Fighting was also reported in urban refugee camps in central Gaza, where Israel escalated its attacks last week.
“Bombings, massacres and martyrdom are our daily lives,” said Saeed Mustafa, a Palestinian from the Nuseyrat camp. He said he heard sporadic explosions and gunshots in Nuseyrat and the nearby camps of Breiji and Magazi.
“Just as we were talking, there was a big explosion near my house,” he said by phone Monday morning.
The military said an airstrike killed Adel Misma, the regional commander of Hamas's elite Nufba force, in the central city of Deir al-Balah.
Just after midnight on New Year's Eve, Hamas launched a massive rocket attack into Israel, including the commercial hub of Tel Aviv.
“Different operating modes”
Israel said the war would last several months. He argues that time is needed to remove the militants' weapons and infrastructure from Gaza and prevent further attacks by Hamas. Israel has resisted calls from the international community for a long-term ceasefire, arguing that doing so would amount to a victory for Hamas.
Shlomo Blom, a retired brigadier general who was once in charge of strategic planning in the Israeli military, said the troop transfer may be the result of U.S. pressure. He said this signals a change in the way Israel conducts wars in some areas.
“War never stops,” Blom said. “This is the beginning of a different mode of operation.”
Despite the increasing cost in soldiers' lives, Israelis remain largely supportive of the war's objectives.
Over the weekend, the military announced that of the soldiers who have died since the start of ground operations (172 in total as of Monday), 18 were killed in mutual fire, and the remaining 11 died due to weapons or equipment malfunctions or accidents. did.
