Israeli Army withdraws all its troops from southern Gaza

The Israeli Army confirmed the withdrawal of all its ground troops from the south of the Gaza Strip, and only left one brigade in the enclave, which represents an unprecedented event in the conflict that began on October 7.

The withdrawal occurs after intense fighting in the Khan Younis area for four months, in the midst of the war between Israel and Hamas, which has reported the death of more than 33,100 people, mainly women and children.

The remaining brigade in the Palestinian enclave is tasked with securing a corridor between southern Israel and the Gaza coast. The strategic position blocks the passage to the north of the Strip and facilitates operations in the center and north of the territory.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have recovered the lifeless body of Israeli hostage Elad Katzir in Khan Yunis amid the withdrawal. Katzir had been in the hands of Islamic Jihad and his body was identified by doctors at the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

The hospitals of Khan Younis, Al Amal and Naser, being the main ones in the region, have been left inoperative after the siege by Israeli troops. The Army maintains that there was a presence of alleged combatants in these complexes.

Israeli Army combat units carried out the last operations in the Al Amal neighborhood to “dismantle terrorist infrastructure” before their withdrawal.

For his part, former Israeli Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar criticized the troop withdrawal, arguing that “the continued decline in the size of” Israeli forces in Gaza “has distanced us from achieving the objectives of the war,” statements provided through X, formerly known as Twitter.

For now, there could be a military incursion into Rafah by Israel, in the south of the enclave. However, this action faces opposition from the United States, Israel’s main military ally.

With information from EFE