Israel Pulls Troops Out Of Southern Gaza

The Israeli Military has pulled all its troops out of southern Gaza, including from the city of Khan Yunis.

“Today, Sunday April 7th, the IDF’s 98th commando division has concluded its mission in Khan Younis. The division left the Gaza Strip in order to recuperate and prepare for future operations.

“A significant force led by the 162nd division and the Nahal brigade continues to operate in the Gaza Strip and will preserve the IDF’s freedom of action and its ability to conduct precise intelligence based operations,” the army said in a statement on Sunday.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the withdrawal was tactical.

An army official told the left-leaning daily that “there’s no need for us to remain in the sector without an operational need.

“The 98th division dismantled Hamas’s Khan Yunis brigades and killed thousands of its members. We did everything we could there.”

Displaced Palestinians from Khan Yunis may now be able to return to their homes after sheltering in the far southern city of Rafah, Haaretz reported the official as saying.

However, the army “will continue to operate there according to the operational needs,” the official told Haaretz.