Israel Says It Will Withdraw Some Troops From Gaza

The New York Times reports:

The Israeli military announced on Monday that it will begin withdrawing several thousand troops from Gaza at least temporarily, in what would be the most significant publicly announced pullback since the war began.

The military cited a growing toll on the Israeli economy following nearly three months of wartime mobilization with little end in sight to the fighting. Israel had been considering scaling back its operations, and the United States has been prodding it to do so more quickly as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise. More than 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war, according to local health authorities.

Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, emphasized that the move to demobilize some soldiers did not indicate any compromise on Israel’s intention to continue fighting, and he did not mention the American requests to scale back.

Read the full article.

The Israeli military said it plans to reduce the number of troops deployed in Gaza, partly in an attempt to alleviate a growing toll on the Israeli economy. https://t.co/SoP553Fapj

— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) January 1, 2024