The Israel Defense Forces withdrew all of its maneuvering ground forces from the Gaza Strip early Sunday morning, leaving just one brigade to secure a corridor splitting the Palestinian enclave.
Troops of the 98th Division were pulled out of the Khan Younis area after four straight months of fighting, the IDF said.
Only one brigade, Nahal, remains in the Gaza Strip. The Nahal Brigade has been tasked with securing the so-called Netzarim Corridor, which crosses Gaza from the Be’eri area in southern Israel to the Strip’s coast.
The corridor enables the IDF to carry out raids in northern and central Gaza, prevents Palestinians from returning to the northern part of the Strip, and allows humanitarian organizations to deliver aid directly to northern Gaza.
Hours after the withdrawal, five rockets were fired from the Khan Younis area at communities near the Gaza border.
According to the IDF, some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Sunday’s withdrawal appeared to be a move similar to that carried out in the northern Gaza Strip following the IDF’s initial ground offensive last year. After several months of a large-scale offensive with several divisions, the IDF left northern Gaza, only to return to carry out smaller, localized, operations.
The IDF believes that raids based on new intelligence, such as the recent operation at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital and others in the northern part of the Strip, are a more effective way to operate against Hamas.
The offensive in Khan Younis achieved its goal, according to the IDF, with the local Hamas brigade dismantled, thousands of gunmen killed, and around 30 kilometers of tunnels destroyed.
The 98th Division also needed time for R&R after its lengthy fighting.
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