Israel "Withdraws Ground Forces Leaving Only One Brigade in Southern Gaza"

The Israeli military, engaged in a war with the Palestinian armed group Hamas, announced on the 7th (local time) that it has withdrawn a significant portion of its ground forces from the southern Gaza Strip.

An Israeli military spokesperson said, "Except for one brigade, most of the ground forces were withdrawn from the southern Gaza Strip overnight." However, the spokesperson did not comment on the reasons behind the withdrawal.

Israeli soldiers operating in Khan Yunis, the largest city in southern Gaza Strip
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the local daily Times of Israel, the only unit currently remaining in the southern Gaza Strip is the Nahal Brigade guarding the 'Netzarim Corridor.'

This corridor is a passage road that the Israeli military created to divide the Gaza Strip north to south, stretching from the eastern separation barrier near Be'eri in the south of Gaza Strip to the western Mediterranean coast. It is unknown whether the Israeli troop withdrawal is related to ceasefire negotiations.

Hamas has so far set conditions such as Israeli troop withdrawal and permanent ceasefire discussions as prerequisites for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

However, Israel, which has declared the elimination of Hamas, the rescue of hostages, and the resolution of security threats in the Gaza Strip as war objectives, has maintained its stance that it cannot accept Hamas's demands.

Earlier, Hamas decided to send a delegation to Cairo, Egypt, to participate in ceasefire negotiations but stated that it has no intention of withdrawing its demands for troop withdrawal and permanent ceasefire.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.