Is Israel scaling back its attacks in the Gaza Strip? It appears so as the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that thousands of Israeli soldiers will soon be withdrawn from the Palestinian city.
As 2024 begins, many Palestinian and Israeli civilians are hoping that the Israel-Hamas war will soon end. But, the Israeli government said that the battle against the Palestinian terrorist group will still continue. Although this is the case, IDF officials announced the biggest known troop withdrawal from the Gaza Strip ever since the war officially began in October 2023.
IDF Confirms Mass Troop Withdrawal in Gaza
According to CNN World's latest report, the military withdrawal was announced by the Israel Defense Forces after confirming that it would expand operations in the southern and central Gaza Strip.
IDF officials said that the 14th and 551st brigades will be sent home to their families, allowing them to return to their civilian lives in the first week of January.
Meanwhile, Israel said that other brigades will return to their scheduled training sessions. These include the 460th (trains the armored corps), 261st (trains army officers), and the 828th brigade (trains squad commanders.
"Some of the reservists will return to their families and work this week," said IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
"This will allow considerable relief for the economy and will allow them to gather strength for the next activity in the coming year and the fighting will continue and we will still need them," he added via Euro News.
However, Hagari didn't confirm if the mass soldier withdrawal is a part of Israel's efforts to launch a new phase of war with Hamas terrorists.
Is Israel Scaling Back Attacks in Gaza?
Although the Israel Defense Forces didn't confirm if it is scaling back its attacks in the Gaza Strip, a senior U.S. official said that this effort is a clear sign that Israel is gradually shifting to a lower-intensity phase of war.
Some military experts even claim that the mass military withdrawal could lead to a long-term scaled-back war phase against the Palestinian militant organization.
As of writing, U.S. officials are expecting that the military pull-out will demonstrate the willingness Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move to a scaled-back intensity phase.
But, this doesn't mean that the war between the Israeli government and Hamas will soon be over.
