Worthy Christian News > Israel-Palestinian Conflict > Israel Withdraws Ground Troops From Gaza

Israel Withdraws Ground Troops From Gaza

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Early Sunday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)  pulled back all its ground troops from the Gaza Strip, retaining only one brigade to maintain security along a corridor that divides the Palestinian territory. The IDF declared on Sunday that it had completed the active combat phase of the conflict for the time being, but it did not rule out the chance of launching a new offensive into Rafah, located in the far south of Gaza, in the future.

The IDF announced that after four months of continuous combat, the 98th Division’s troops were withdrawn from the Khan Younis region. Currently, only the Nahal Brigade remains in the Gaza Strip, assigned the duty of guarding the Netzarim Corridor, a strategic passage that extends from the Be’eri region in southern Israel to the coastal area of the Strip.

Following an evaluation at the IDF Southern Command, Israeli Defense Minister Gallant remarked, “The forces came out [of Gaza] and are preparing for their future missions; we saw examples of such missions in action at Shifa [Hospital] and also for their future mission in the Rafah area.”

“We will reach a situation where Hamas does not control the Gaza Strip and where it does not function as a military framework that poses a risk to the citizens of the State of Israel,” Gallant stated.

The withdrawal on Sunday seemed to mirror the strategy previously employed in the northern Gaza Strip after the IDF’s initial ground assault last year. Following an extensive offensive that lasted several months and involved multiple divisions, the IDF exited northern Gaza, only to re-enter later for more focused, smaller-scale operations.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi stated that although there has been a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the conflict with Hamas is ongoing and far from concluded.

“We are fighting this war differently, it is different from its predecessors,” Herzi stated in a press release commemorating the six-month anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas.

“The war in Gaza continues, and we are far from stopping. Senior Hamas officials are still in hiding. We will get to them sooner or later. We are making progress, continuing to kill more terrorists and commanders and destroy more terror infrastructures, including last night,” Herzi continued.

“We will not leave Hamas brigades active in any part of the Strip. We have plans, and we will act when we decide. At the same time as the offensive effort, we allow the introduction of humanitarian aid into the Strip. The interest of Hamas is to present a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to press for an end to the war,” Herzi added.

“Hamas is trying to take control of the humanitarian aid and prevent its distribution, to return and control the Gaza Strip; this should not happen.  Therefore, we continue to dismantle Hamas from its military and governmental capabilities to bring about stability to the region,” Herzi concluded.

This situation effectively allows Palestinians to move without restrictions in southern Gaza and Khan Yunis, leaving no measures in place to prevent Hamas from reassuming control. Meanwhile, the IDF maintains a separation, isolating the northern and central regions of Gaza from the south.

There was a time when the IDF deployed five divisions, comprising between 30,000 to 40,000 ground troops, deep within Gaza, in addition to larger forces encircling the Strip.

During the IDF’s ground offensive that began in late October, 260 soldiers lost their lives, and 1,552 were injured.

The health ministry in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, reports that the conflict has resulted in over 33,000 deaths in the Strip so far, a figure that includes around 13,000 individuals identified by Israel as Hamas terrorists killed in combat. This statistic cannot be independently confirmed. Additionally, Israel reports the elimination of approximately 1,000 terrorists within its borders on October 7.