Israeli troop withdrawal raises questions about its Gaza plans

The Israeli army announced on Sunday the withdrawal of a division of its ground troops from southern Gaza, raising questions about its plans as the war reached the six-month mark.

Israel has significantly reduced the number of its troops on the ground in Gaza in recent months. Only a fraction of the soldiers it had deployed to the territory earlier in the war remain.

The army said the 98th division had left Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, in order to "recover and prepare for future operations." Israeli media reported that the withdrawal of the 98th meant that there were no longer any Israeli troops actively maneuvering in southern Gaza.

It was unclear what the final withdrawal of forces meant for the moment. of an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza, where more than a million people have found refuge.

Israeli Minister of Defense Defense Yoav Gallant said the army was preparing for "follow-on missions" including Rafah. “We will reach a point where Hamas no longer controls the Gaza Strip and will no longer function as a military cadre that poses a threat to the citizens of the State of Israel,” he said.

The Biden administration has warned that a ground invasion of Rafah would be catastrophic and pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seek alternatives. But Mr. Netanyahu insisted on Sunday that Israel was determined to “complete the elimination of Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip, including Rafah.”

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