by The Israeli military announced Monday that it will begin withdrawing several thousand troops from Gaza, at least temporarily, in what would be the most significant withdrawal publicly announced since the war began.
The military cited a rising cost to the Israeli economy after nearly three months of wartime mobilization with little end in sight to the fighting. Israel had been considering scaling back its operations and the United States has been pressuring it to do so more quickly as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise. According to local health authorities, more than 20,000 people have died in Gaza since the start of the war.
Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, emphasized that the move to demobilize some soldiers did not indicate any commitment about Israel’s intention to continue fighting, and he made no mention of American requests to de-escalate. He indicated that some will be called back into service next year. Still, fighting remains intense throughout Gaza.
Reservists from at least two brigades will be sent home this week, the Israeli military said in a statement, and three brigades will be brought back for training. Brigades vary in size, up to approximately 4,000 soldiers. The Israeli military does not reveal how many troops it has deployed to Gaza.
“This measure is expected to significantly alleviate economic burdens and allow them to gather forces for upcoming activities next year,” the Israeli military said.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is expected to return to Israel in early January to continue war talks, according to US officials, after meeting a top Netanyahu adviser in Washington last week along with Jake Sullivan. , the national security advisor. The three discussed moving to a different phase of the war to “maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets,” a White House official said.
Israel began its campaign against Hamas after 1,200 people were killed in Israel in an attack by the Palestinian armed group and more than 240 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. In response, the Israeli government launched a campaign to overthrow the Hamas government in Gaza and authorized the mobilization of more than 350,000 reservists for the war effort.
The call-up added to the economic burden faced by hundreds of thousands of Israelis who fled their homes on Israel’s borders after the attacks. The Israeli economy is expected to contract 2 percent this quarter, the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies, a nonpartisan think tank in Israel, said in late December, as many left the workforce for reserve duties. or abandoned businesses in their hometowns.
Israeli leaders have continued to tell the public to expect a long military campaign, even as some critics have expressed skepticism about whether the goal of eliminating Hamas is ultimately feasible.
“War objectives require prolonged combat and we are preparing accordingly,” Rear Admiral Hagari told reporters in a televised news conference Sunday night.
But Israeli officials have said they intend to transition to a new stage of the war, which would see more targeted attacks on Hamas rather than the full ground invasion seen so far.
In the Gaza Strip, months of war have displaced more than 85 percent of Gaza’s more than 2 million residents, according to the United Nations, many of whom have been crowded into shrinking safe zones in the south. of the enclave. Many have sought refuge in hospitals and schools, where the search for adequate food and water has become a daily ordeal.
Fighting continued throughout the night on Monday. Shortly after midnight, just after Israelis and Palestinians celebrated the New Year, Hamas claimed responsibility for a rocket fire from Gaza that sent dozens of people fleeing to bomb shelters in central Israel.
Israeli troops also struck targets in northern and central Gaza, the Israeli military said on Monday, claiming they eliminated a Hamas militant commander. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas.
