Israel aims to reduce troops while stepping up strikes with its tanks and aircraft
Residents in southern Gaza reported that Israeli tanks and aircraft intensified their attacks during the night, following the announcement of preparations to withdraw some forces. The US interpreted this as a gradual transition to less intense operations in the northern part of the enclave.
There are still many months left in the Gaza war, according to Israel, which has left most of the region in ruins, killed at least 22,000 Palestinians, and left its 2.3 million residents facing starvation.
However, an Israeli official stated on Monday that the military would withdraw its personnel from Gaza this month and transition to a months-long phase of more focused “mopping up” operations, signaling a new phase in the war.
According to the Israeli source, the troop decrease will free up units in case there is a bigger fight in the north with Hezbollah in Lebanon and allow some reservists to return to civilian life, supporting Israel’s economy, which has been severely damaged by the war.
The US Navy’s announcement that the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which had been sent to the Eastern Mediterranean when hostilities broke out, was making its way back to its home port in Virginia coincided with the indications of a slowdown in the situation in northern Gaza.
According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Monday, Iran’s Alborz warship coincidentally entered the Red Sea at a time when tensions on the vital trade route were rising due to attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, who back Hamas.
Since the beginning of the Gaza battle, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging artillery fire, and on Monday, the Israeli military claimed to have launched an airstrike.
The Israeli official declared that the state of affairs at the border with Lebanon “will not be allowed to continue.” This next six-month window is a crucial one.”
There is a higher chance of a wider regional war with every new escalation. Resistance organizations have already assaulted US forces in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
“I want to live till 2024 and not die. Our early years are gone. Water, food, and restrooms are absent. In Rafah, Gaza, 11-year-old Layan Harara remarked, “Just tents.” People were holed up between animal cages that were famished in the city’s zoo.
Following what they characterized as the most violent ten days of fighting since the conflict began, residents of Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan district, in the northern portion of the territory that Israel’s invasion first targeted, stated that tanks had withdrew.
The tanks were not far away. From outside the houses, we could see them. We were unable to leave to fetch water,” remarked Nasser, a Sheikh Radwan resident and father of seven children.
Additionally, according to residents, tanks withdrew from areas of Tel al-Hawa and Gaza City’s al-Mina district, but they held onto certain positions in the suburb that controlled the main coastal road leading into the beleaguered territory.
The armed wing of Hamas claimed on Monday to have killed fifteen Israeli troops following the detonation of an explosive minefield east of Gaza’s Tuffah neighborhood.
According to residents, there were still tanks in various areas of northern Gaza, and fighting was still going on in the enclave’s central section. They also mentioned that tanks were still shelling several areas of the central Al-Bureji refugee camp.
After more than 12 weeks of fighting, Hamas demonstrated its ability to still target Israel by attacking Tel Aviv with a flurry of rocket fire.
After some were freed during a temporary truce and others were murdered during Israeli airstrikes and attempts at rescue or escape, Israel estimates that 129 of the 240 detainees that Hamas captured on October 7 are still being kept in Gaza.
A new cease-fire and hostage exchange agreement are being negotiated by Qatar and Egypt.
“The war will not end until Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure is destroyed and its governance capabilities are overthrown,” Israeli security cabinet member Avi Dichter stated on Kan Radio.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, declared on Saturday that Gaza’s border with Egypt must be retaken by the nation. This border is already crowded with residents who have fled the violence throughout the remainder of the enclave.
Israel’s 2005 pullout from Gaza may be de facto reversed if the border is retaken, creating new concerns about the enclave’s destiny and the likelihood of a Palestinian state.
Washington stated that after the conflict ends, Israel should permit a Palestinian government to rule Gaza.
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