Israel says troop withdrawal from Khan Younis to prepare for Rafah offensive

Israeli army withdraws its 98th Division, with its three brigades, from Khan Younis city in southern Gaza, according to media reports

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday evening that troop withdrawal from Khan Younis city is part of preparations to launch a ground attack on Rafah city in the southern tip of the Gaza Strip.

“The forces came out [of Gaza] and are preparing for their future missions, we saw examples of such missions in action at Shifa [Hospital], and also for their future mission in the Rafah area,” Gallant said in statements cited by Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

“We will reach a situation where Hamas does not control the Gaza Strip and where it does not function as a military framework that poses a risk to the citizens of the State of Israel,” he added.

Israeli media reported early Sunday that the Israeli army had withdrawn the 98th Division, with its three brigades, from Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to Army Radio, there is only one brigade left in Gaza, the Nahal Brigade, which is responsible for securing the corridor established by the Israeli army to prevent Gazans from returning to the north.

The Israeli army has announced plans to invade Rafah, where more than 1.4 million people have taken refuge from Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

Israel's intended plans for the Rafah offensive have sounded international alarm bells, with many urging restraint or cancelation of the operation.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack in early October by the Palestinian group, Hamas, killed less than 1,200 people.

Nearly 33,200 Palestinians have since been killed and almost 75,900 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which last week asked it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala

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