White House reacts to Israel's partial withdrawal of troops from Gaza Strip
The White House has stated that the withdrawal of Israeli Defense Forces from the southern part of the Gaza Strip is linked to personnel reequipping and rest, states White House National Security Communications Adviser, John Kirby.
In the administration of the American president, it is noted that Israel's actions do not necessarily indicate any new operations by the IDF in the region in the future.
"They have been on the ground for four months, and we are getting reports that they are tired, that they need to be refit," Kirby said.
At the same time, a White House representative added that it is currently difficult to say what exactly is happening in the Gaza Strip in the context of the movement of Israeli troops.
"As we understand it and through the public announcements it is really about rest and refit for these troops that have been on the ground for four months and not necessarily that we can tell indicative of some coming new operation for these troops," Kirby said.
What preceded it
Earlier, it was reported that the Israeli Defense Forces withdrew almost all of their troops from the southern part of the Gaza Strip overnight on April 7. Currently, according to Israeli media reports, only one brigade, Nahal, remains in the enclave.
The withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south of the Gaza Strip occurred after four months of continuous fighting in the Khan Younis area.
War in the Gaza Strip
Last autumn, militants from the terrorist group Hamas attacked Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. In response, Israel deployed troops to the Gaza Strip and began a military operation to eliminate Hamas.
In mid-March, Netanyahu stated that Israel was close to completing the final stage of combat operations in the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli prime minister, the military operation could be completed in approximately a month or two.
However, as Netanyahu stated, the Israeli army intends to continue its advance on the city of Rafah on the southern border of the Gaza Strip. Although US President Joe Biden had previously warned in an interview that such an advance could be a red line.