Israeli troops are withdrawing from Khan Yunis, the largest city in southern Gaza, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Force confirmed to Reuters on Sunday, raising the prospect Israel may back away from its controversial planned ground invasion into Rafah, the city where over one million Palestinians sought refuge after the war began.
Only one infantry brigade and one armored division will remain in Gaza after the withdrawals are ... [+]
The IDF said it had “concluded its mission” in Khan Yunis and withdrew all remaining brigades of soldiers, leaving only the Nahal Brigade and the 162nd Division of the Armored Corps stationed in the Netzarim Corridor, which divides Gaza between the North and South.
The retreating soldiers will “recuperate and prepare for future operations”—which may mean the military is preparing for future conflicts with Iran, who accused Israel of bombing their consulate in Damascus last week, or Hezbollah, who Israel attacked with drone strikes on Saturday.
The IDF did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes, but reporters at multiple outlets confirmed troop and vehicle movements leaving the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Israel previously pulled most of its troops out of northern Gaza in January, but continued “targeted” operations in the region—including a weeks-long raid on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City that concluded last week.
On Sunday, the White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told ABC News he believes the withdrawal was designed to provide “rest and refit” for the ground troops in Gaza, and was not necessarily “indicative of some coming new operation for these troops.”
Meanwhile, negotiators for both Israel and Hamas are returning to Cairo for another round of ceasefire talks—after previous attempts to reach a peace deal collapsed.
With large numbers of troops pulling out of Khan Yunis, the IDF has fewer troops immediately ready to operate in Rafah. In March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized plans to invade the city, but held off on giving troops the green light to begin the operation. The Biden administration has consistently warned Netanyahu against operating in the beleaguered city, but Netanyahu has remained defiant. In March, the prime minister insisted the IDF would “continue to repel the pressures and we will enter Rafah, complete the elimination of the remaining Hamas battalions, restore security and bring complete victory to the people of Israel and the State of Israel.” However, the IDF’s killing of seven aid workers from the World Conflict Kitchen, including one American, has caused a larger rift in relations between the two allies. Speaking to ABC on Sunday, Kirby said “the president made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu, we’ve got to see some changes in the way they're prosecuting these operations or we’re going to have to think about making changes in our own policy towards Gaza.” Kirby said the White House was growing “increasingly frustrated” with the “way that the Israelis are acting on the ground in terms of civilian casualties,” and Biden conveyed this to Netanyahu in phone calls last week. “Now, the prime minister assured the president that he would do that. We’ve seen some announcements in those early hours. That's welcome. We’ve got to see more.” However, the IDF soldiers remaining in the Netzarim Corridor could still operate in southern Gaza—including Rafah. Sources in the military told Haaretz refugees will be able to return to their homes in Khan Yunis, but did not rule out further operations in southern Gaza.
The announcement of the withdrawal comes one day before the six-month anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks, which saw Hamas fighters kill about 1,200 Israelis and take 253 hostage inside the Gaza Strip. Israel invaded Gaza on Oct. 27, but primarily focused its operations in northern Gaza, especially Gaza City. In December, the IDF expanded the war into southern Gaza, forcing refugees to flee even further south to Rafah on the Egyptian border. The IDF said troops were conducting operations in Khan Yunis as late as Saturday evening. Forces in the region reportedly destroyed three tunnels underneath Khan Yunis used by militant groups, including one that allegedly crossed into Israeli territory. The military also announced they had recovered the body of Elad Katzir, one of the hostages taken at Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. Katzir was held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another group allied with Hamas, and was killed in captivity, the military claimed.
33,137. That’s how many Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the most recent estimates from the Hamas-run Health Ministry. About 13,000 of those deaths are believed to be children. The IDF also announced on social media that a total of 604 Israeli soldiers have died in the fighting since the war began.