This picture taken from the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing over central Gaza following Israeli strikes on Jan. 1, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group.
Published January 1, 2023
TEL AVIV, Israel — Thousands of Israeli soldiers are being shifted out of the Gaza Strip, the military said Monday, in the first significant drawdown of troops since the war began as forces continued to bear down on the main city in the southern half of the enclave.
The troop movement could signal that fighting is being scaled back in some areas of Gaza, particularly in the northern half where the military has said it is close to assuming operational control.
Israel has been under pressure from its chief ally, the United States, to begin to switch to lower-intensity fighting.
Word of the drawdown came ahead of a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region and after the Biden administration bypassed Congress for the second time this month to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel.
But fierce fighting continued in other areas of Gaza, especially the southern city Khan Younis and central areas of the territory.
Israel has pledged to charge ahead until its war aims have been achieved, including dismantling Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 16 years.
The military said in a statement Monday that five brigades, or several thousand troops, were being taken out of Gaza in the coming weeks for training and rest.
In a briefing Sunday that first announced the troop withdrawal without specifying how many forces were leaving, army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari did not say whether the decision meant Israel was launching a new phase of the war.
“The objectives of the war require prolonged fighting, and we are preparing accordingly,” he said.
Israel has vowed to crush Hamas’ military and governing capabilities in its war, which was sparked by the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people. Roughly 240 people were taken hostage.
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SOURCE: www.nypost.com
RELATED: Israel to pull troops from Gaza, expects war to persist in 2024, as conflict enters new phase
- Thousands of Israeli soldiers are being shifted out of the Gaza Strip, the military said Monday, in the first significant drawdown of troops since the war began
- The expected drawdown comes as an Israeli minster repeated calls for Palestinians to leave Gaza, and make the Gaza Strip an Israeli resettlement after the war
Published December 31, 2023
Thousands of Israeli soldiers are being shifted out of the Gaza Strip, the military said on Monday, in the first significant drawdown of troops since the war began as forces continued to bear down on the main city in the southern half of the enclave.
Word of the drawdown came ahead of a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region and after the Biden administration bypassed Congress for the second time this month to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel.
But fierce fighting continued in other areas of Gaza, especially the southern city Khan Younis and central areas of the territory. Israel has pledged to charge ahead until its war aims have been achieved, including dismantling Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 16 years.
The military said in a statement on Monday that five brigades, or several thousand troops, were being taken out of Gaza in the coming weeks for training and rest.
“The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] must plan ahead, understanding that we will be required for additional tasks and warfare throughout this year,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters.
“The objectives of the war require prolonged fighting and we are preparing accordingly.”
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SOURCE: www.scmp.com
RELATED: Israel moving thousands of troops out of Gaza, but expects “prolonged fighting” with Hamas
A photo taken from the Israeli border with the central Gaza Strip shows an Israeli tank crossing a fence to leave Gaza and roll into Israel, Jan. 1, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group.
Published January 1, 20233
Tel Aviv — Israel’s military has begun moving thousands of troops out of the Gaza Strip, but officials stress that the Israel Defense Forces are set to continue waging a long war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The announcement of a redeployment came after Israel’s prime minister said he saw the conflict continuing well into the new year.
Thousands of Israeli soldiers were being shifted out of Gaza, however, military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters on Monday, in the first significant drawdown since the war was sparked by Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel. In a statement, the IDF said five brigades, or several thousand troops, would be moved out of Gaza over the coming weeks for training and rest.
In a briefing Sunday when he first announced the troop withdrawal, without specifying how many forces were leaving, Hagari did not say whether the decision meant Israel was launching a new phase of the war.
Israel has vowed to crush Hamas’ military and governing capabilities in Gaza, a small Palestinian territory which the group — long designated a terror organization by Israel and the U.S. — has ruled for almost two decades.
Hamas’ attack on Israel left about 1,200 people dead and saw the militants take some 240 people hostage.
The troop movement could indicate a scaling back of Israel’s war effort in some parts of densely populated Gaza, most likely in the northern half of the enclave where the IDF focused the initial phase of its offensive.
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SOURCE: www.cbsnews.com
