The Israeli military announced on Monday its decision to temporarily withdraw several thousand troops from Gaza, marking the most significant publicly declared pullback since the war’s inception.
The military cited the growing economic toll on Israel after nearly three months of continuous wartime mobilization, with no clear end in sight to the ongoing conflict. Israel had been contemplating scaling back operations, and the United States has urged a quicker withdrawal, particularly as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise. According to local health authorities, over 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war.
Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, emphasized that demobilizing some soldiers does not signify any compromise on Israel’s intention to continue fighting. He did not mention American requests to scale back and indicated that some soldiers would be called back for service in the coming year. The fighting, however, remains intense across Gaza.
Reservists from at least two brigades will be sent home this week, and three brigades will be taken back for training, according to a statement from the Israeli military. The move is expected to significantly alleviate economic burdens and enable the gathering of strength for upcoming activities in the next year.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is expected to return to Israel in early January for further talks on the war. U.S. officials noted discussions on pivoting to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets during recent meetings in Washington.
Gaza City on Monday. More than 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to local health authorities.Credit...Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Israel launched its offensive against Hamas in response to a devastating attack by the Palestinian armed group that claimed the lives of 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in the abduction of over 240 hostages, as reported by Israeli authorities. Subsequently, the Israeli government authorized the mobilization of more than 350,000 reservists, escalating efforts to dismantle Hamas’s control in Gaza.
This widespread call-up exacerbated the economic challenges faced by hundreds of thousands of Israelis who had to evacuate their homes along Israel’s borders following the attacks. Projections from the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies, a nonpartisan think tank in Israel, anticipate a 2 percent contraction in the Israeli economy for the current quarter. This downturn is attributed to many citizens leaving the labor force for reserve duty or abandoning businesses in their hometowns.
Despite growing skepticism from some quarters about the feasibility of completely eliminating Hamas, Israeli leaders have consistently communicated to the public that a protracted military campaign is essential for achieving this ambitious objective.
Israeli troops on tanks rolling back into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Sunday.Credit...Menahem Kahana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The objectives of the war necessitate an extended duration of conflict, and we are making preparations accordingly,” stated Rear Admiral Hagari in a televised news briefing on Sunday night.
However, Israeli officials have articulated their intention to shift to a new phase of the war, focusing on more targeted attacks against Hamas instead of the comprehensive ground invasion witnessed thus far.
In the Gaza Strip, the prolonged conflict has resulted in the displacement of over 85 percent of the enclave’s 2 million-plus residents, according to the United Nations. Many of them have sought refuge in shrinking safe zones in the south, often crowded into hospitals and schools, where securing adequate food and water has become a daily struggle.
Fighting persisted overnight on Monday. Shortly after midnight, as Israelis and Palestinians marked the New Year, Hamas claimed responsibility for a rocket barrage from Gaza, prompting scores to seek refuge in bomb shelters in central Israel.
Israeli troops also conducted strikes on targets in northern and central Gaza on Monday, claiming to eliminate a Hamas militant commander, as reported by the Israeli military. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas.
