Israel's ending of 'high-intensity' ground ops in northern Gaza a 'positive step': US

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Israel's decision to end "high-intensity" ground operations in the north of the besieged Gaza Strip is a "positive step," the White House said Tuesday.

"The removal of a full division of army troops from Gaza, we think that's a positive step forward in terms of getting to lower-intensity ops," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

"We hope that the removal of these troops and this announced transition that they've made will allow for people to flow back into north Gaza and alleviate some of that pressure in the south, particularly around Khan Younis," he added.

Kirby said the Biden administration is now preparing to increase humanitarian assistance for people in Gaza "as well as to help set the conditions for the population to return to north Gaza, where the UN hopes to be able to conduct an assessment mission over the coming weeks."

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the transition on Monday, saying the military will now carry out what he described as low-intensity operations in northern Gaza. Just hours after Gallant's announcement, the Israeli military carried out new raids into several areas in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

According to an Anadolu reporter, Israeli forces advanced into the northern part of Gaza City and areas east of the town of Jabalia and west of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia.

Israel launched its wide-ranging offensive on Gaza in response to the Palestinian group Hamas' Oct. 7 cross-border attack in which about 1,200 people are believed to have been killed. Hundreds more were taken back to the coastal enclave as hostages. About half were freed in a series of prisoner swaps with Hamas in November.

Kirby said the US is engaged in "very serious, and intensive discussions" in Qatar that seek to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

"We're hopeful that it can bear fruit, and bear fruit soon, because there's still about 140 hostages still being held," he said.

Inside Gaza, at least 24,285 Palestinians have been killed and 61,154 others injured amid Israel's ongoing war, about two-thirds of whom have been women and children.

Some 85% of Gaza’s population has been internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while an estimated 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. Over 65,000 housing units have been destroyed.

The UN rapporteur on Palestine said earlier Tuesday that the world is witnessing "mass starvation" in Gaza, where more than half of the territory's 2.3 million Palestinians are food insecure due to Israel's ongoing blockade and bombardment.

"I never thought we would witness mass starvation of these proportions used in the 21st century. Yet here it is in Gaza, after 100 days of bombing, with insufficient food, fuel and water allowed in," Francesca Albanese said on X. "Children are dying first. Adults will follow. Before our eyes."