Jerusalem: The Israeli military announced it will begin withdrawing several thousand troops from the Gaza Strip 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 mobilisation with little end in sight to the fighting. But the withdrawals also come as the military considers scaling back its operations in a new phase of fighting. The US has been prodding Israel to begin doing so more quickly as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise, with more than 20,000 killed, according to local health authorities.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesperson, emphasised that the move to demobilise some soldiers did not indicate any compromise on Israel’s intention to continue fighting, and he did not mention the US requests to scale back. He indicated that some will be called back to service in the coming year. And the fighting remains intense across Gaza. The army “must plan ahead, understanding that we will be required for additional tasks and warfare throughout this year,” he said. Reservists from at least two brigades will be sent home this week, the Israeli military said and three brigades will be taken back for training. “This move is expected to significantly alleviate economic burdens and enable them to gather strength for upcoming activities,” it said.