Israel has withdrawn its troops from the south of the Gaza Strip, notably from the town of Khan Younes, after months of fighting against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the Israeli army and an Israeli military official said on Sunday.
“Today, Sunday April 7, the 98th Commando Division of the Israeli army completed its mission in Khan Yunis. The division left the Gaza Strip in order (…) to prepare for future operations,” declared the army in a press release sent to AFP. Asked by AFP whether this meant all troops had left the southern Gaza Strip, a military official replied: “yes.”
Some operations continue
The army clarified that a “significant force” would continue to operate in the small Palestinian territory according to its strategic needs. “A significant force led by the 162nd division and the Nahal brigade continues to operate in the Gaza Strip to guarantee the army’s freedom of action and its ability to conduct precise operations based on intelligence”, underlines its press release.
The Israeli daily Haaretz argues that the withdrawal of infantry from the southern Gaza Strip is motivated by the fact that the army has achieved its objectives there. According to a military official quoted by the newspaper, often considered more left-wing than most general dailies, “we no longer need to stay in the strategic sector without necessity”.
“The 98th Division dismantled the Hamas brigades in Khan Yunis and killed thousands of their members. We did everything we had to do there.” The Palestinians displaced from Khan Younes – only a part of the displaced – can now return to their homes after having found refuge in Rafah, further south near the border with Egypt, according to this soldier.
An offensive on Rafah?
On Sunday, an AFP photographer saw dozens of people leaving Rafah towards Khan Younes, on foot, by car or on carts pulled by donkeys. Khan Younes, a large city in southern Gaza, was for months the scene of incessant airstrikes and intense fighting between Hamas forces and the Israeli army. Attention is now focused on Rafah where, despite the concern of many foreign capitals, Israel has said it is determined to launch a ground offensive while more than 1.5 million Gazans have found refuge there.
The Gaza war was sparked after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on figures Israeli officials.
At least 33,175 people, mostly women and children, were killed in Israel’s military reprisal campaign, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which has been controlled by Hamas since 2007.