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Israel-Gaza latest: IDF confirms 'decline in forces' in southern Gaza - BBC News Israel-Gaza latest: IDF confirms 'decline in forces' in southern Gaza - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Israel's military has announced the deaths of four more of its soldiers in Gaza. Sebastian Usher
It says they were ambushed by Hamas gunmen in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip's largest city. Middle East analyst, in Jerusalem
The Israeli government says 604 of its soldiers have killed in conflict since 7 October.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute and named them in an address as Cpt Ido Baruch, Sgt Amitai Even Shoshan, Sgt Reef Harush and Sgt Ilai Zair. On the surface, the announcement that Israel has pulled all
On behalf of myself and the citizens of Israel, I send heartfelt condolences to their families and to all the families that have lost loved ones in this difficult war." but one brigade out of Gaza would seem to suggest a noteworthy shift in the
Israeli army's strategy there. But it may not presage any major
change.
Israel has previously withdrawn other troops when their military
objective is judged to have been completed.
An army statement
said the 98th commando division had left Gaza in order to "recuperate and
prepare for future operations". The military stressed that a "significant
force" remains in Gaza, with the ability to preserve the Israel Defense Forces' "freedom of
action".
That sends a message that the pull-out is tactical and does not
suggest the war may be moving closer to its end. But a military operation that
focuses on narrower targets may lessen the likelihood of heavy civilian
casualties.
That is something that Israel's closest and most powerful
ally, the US, has been applying increasing pressure on the Israeli government
to do.
The US would certainly be
extremely concerned if the move proved to be related to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeatedly stated intention to mount an operation against Hamas in the southernmost Gazan town of Rafah, where more than one million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge.
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