Israel said on Sunday — the six-month mark of the ruinous conflict in Gaza — that it was withdrawing all but one brigade from the south of the enclave, describing the move as an opportunity for troops to rest and retool for the next chapter of the war.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that its 98th commando division, which consists of special ground forces, had “concluded its mission” in the city of Khan Younis and left Gaza “to recuperate and prepare for future operations.” The Nahal brigade, made up of ground troops stationed along a corridor that divides northern and southern Gaza, would continue to operate, the army said.
The drawdown announcement Sunday seemed to mirror a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza City earlier this year, after the army said it had dismantled Hamas brigades in the north and was pivoting to more targeted operations.
On a tour of the IDF’s Southern Command with U.S. ambassador Jack Lew, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said soldiers would now be preparing for the “mission in the Rafah area” along the Egyptian border, home to some 1.4 million displaced Palestinians.
Israel has insisted it must invade Rafah to finish off Hamas’s remaining battalions; the Biden administration has said Israeli officials must first come up with a plan to evacuate civilians in the line of fire.
“The war in Gaza continues, and we are far from stopping,” Herzi Halevi, IDF chief of the general staff, said in a statement Sunday. “We will not…
Read moreA nuclear armed entity, described as the most advanced in the world, can't defeat an estimated 30, 000 fighters
In no way whatsoever have they " won"
It's a humiliating defeat
Palestinian pride has defeated Zionist evil
@BudgetBillCakeGreen3wks3W
Israel will win the destruction battle - The indomitable Palestinian people will win the war
@PragmaticTonyForward3wks3W
Those CRIMINALS must pay for crimes against humanity
@OppositionUrchinGreen3wks3W
International diapers force (IDF) has lost the war actually
Literally the only thing not destroyed in Gaza is Hamas.
Shades of Dubbya's "Mission Accomplished!" minues the aircraft carrier. And the banner.
@SheepishBallotVeteran3wks3W
lol
A sad statement of fact
@BlissfulSw1ngStateGreen3wks3W
Israel lost the war in Gaza, despite destroying it completely and massacring over 13,000 children.
Hamas still holds Gaza, and Netanyahu's political goals have also not been achieved.
Huge losses in military personnel and military equipment, the northern part of the country was evacuated, the economy was crippled.
The myth of Israel's invincible army has been completely shattered.
And all this is just getting started, Hezbollah is barely scratched. Iran is moving to take the initiative.
@GatoradeKayleeGreen3wks3W
They've come a long way to go from "everyone in Gaza is Hamas" to "Hamas isn't even Hamas"
@ISIDEWITH3wks3W
@ISIDEWITH3wks3W
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