The White House estimates this Sunday that the withdrawal from southern Gaza announced by the Israeli army was probably simply a period of “rest” for IDF soldiers.
A White House spokesperson estimated this Sunday that the withdrawal from southern Gaza announced by the Israeli army was probably simply a period of “rest” for its troops. “From what we understand, and from their public announcements, this is actually a period of rest and fitness for these troops who have been on the ground for four months,” John said Kirby on ABC. According to this American official, the Israeli withdrawal is “not necessarily” indicative of a “new operation to come for these troops”.
Israel announced that it had withdrawn its troops from the south of the Gaza Strip, notably from the town of Khan Younes, after months of fierce fighting against Hamas which caused a humanitarian catastrophe and earned Israel a round of criticism, including from his allies. 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.
Fear of an escalation of violence
The Gaza war was sparked after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israeli territory six months ago, on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to a count by the AFP based on official Israeli figures. At least 33,175 people, mostly women and children, were killed in Israel’s military reprisal campaign, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, controlled since 2007 by Hamas.