The Israel Defense Forces withdrew all ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip, leaving only one brigade there.
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Reuters and The Times of Israel reported this on April 7.
Now only the Nahal infantry brigade remains in the Gaza Strip. She is tasked with securing the so-called “Netzarim Corridor,” which crosses Gaza from the Beera region in southern Israel to the coast. It allows the Israeli military to carry out raids in the northern and central parts of the strip and prevents Palestinian refugees from returning to the north.
According to Reuters, it is unclear whether the withdrawal of troops will delay the Israeli invasion of the city of Rafah, which is located in the south of the sector on the border with Egypt. About one and a half million Palestinians remain there, most of whom are refugees from the northern regions of the strip.
The Jerusalem Post writes that the IDF has announced the end of the active phase of the war, “leaving open the possibility of an upcoming invasion of Rafah.” A senior Israeli army official said the decision to withdraw troops had “nothing to do” with US pressure. However, The Jerusalem Post notes that the conclusion came two days after US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The withdrawal of troops, as noted by Reuters, took place as Egypt prepares for a new round of negotiations on an agreement on the release of Israeli hostages remaining in Hamas captivity and a ceasefire. Discussions on the agreement have been ongoing since January, but no agreement has yet been reached.
On March 16, Prime Minister Netanyahu approved a plan to invade Rafah, the last city remaining in the southern Gaza Strip. Israeli commanders consider the invasion necessary to reach Hamas leaders who are likely hiding there. In the United States, the plans of the Israeli army in Rafah are condemned, pointing out that the Palestinians displaced in Rafah have nowhere to run and are suggesting that the military carry out targeted operations.
On April 4, US President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu by phone for the first time since the Israeli army struck a humanitarian convoy for the charity World Central Kitchen, which killed seven workers with citizenship of Great Britain, Australia, Poland, the United States and Canada. Biden, Politico reported, told Netanyahu that the White House’s patience was “exhausted.” After this conversation, Israel announced that it would open the Erez crossing and the port of Ashdod in the south of the country to humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip.
Israel launched a ground operation in the Gaza Strip in response to an attack by Hamas exactly six months ago. Many countries accuse Israel of excessive cruelty towards civilians. The Israeli military claims that it is exclusively attacking Jihadist infrastructure and claims that Hamas is placing its facilities in densely populated areas, using civilians as human shields. Israel has announced an assault on the city of Rafah if Hamas does not release all the hostages.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.