The Israeli military says it has reduced the number of ground troops in the southern Gaza Strip following the conclusion of its monthslong operation in the city of Khan Younis, raising questions about the future of its offensive in the enclave amid pressure from the U.S. to reduce the war’s humanitarian toll.
In a statement on Sunday, the IDF said it was pulling its 98th commando division “to recuperate and prepare for future operations,” as Israeli army vehicles were seen heading to a base in southern Israel.
The Nahal Brigade and the 162nd Division remain in Gaza, which the IDF describes as “a significant force” that will continue to “operate in the Gaza Strip, and will preserve the IDF’s freedom of action and its ability to conduct precise intelligence based operations.”
An Israeli brigade is typically made up of a few thousand troops. On Saturday, four Israeli soldiers were killed in Khan Younis.
It was not clear from the IDF’s statement if the withdrawal constituted a planned rotation of the troops, or signaled a turning point in Israel’s strategy for its military offensive in Gaza.
In response to a clarification request from NBC News, the IDF said it can’t comment on the deployment of its forces for security reasons.
Michael Horowitz, the head of intelligence at Le Beck International, a security and risk management consultancy, said, “I think this is a turning point in the campaign in Gaza.”
“The IDF contingent in Gaza will be the lowest since the ground invasion started in late October last year, made of only two brigades along an axis that cuts Gaza into two,” Horowitz said. “Essentially, this means the IDF is probably moving to a more long-term counterterrorism campaign of more target raids. This is something the U.S. had been asking for months.”
The move also does not appear to be a simple troop rotation, Horowitz said, as no troops are entering southern Gaza to replace the forces being pulled out.
“Operations in Khan…
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