Israel withdrawal in works
ISRAEL has announced plans for a partial withdrawal of its forces from the Gaza Strip over the next few months. The Israel Defence Forces would adapt their tactics towards more targeted operations in the enclave, reducing reliance on artillery and air strikes, it said.
Israel has transitioned to a new phase in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip – one that is less intensive, involving “fewer troops and air strikes”, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.
“The war shifted a stage … But the transition will be with no ceremony. It’s not about dramatic announcements,” Hagari said.
Israel hopes to complete the shift from its original sweeping ground and air campaign launched in Gaza to this “targeted” phase of one-off raids by the end of January, US officials have been told by their Israeli counterparts.
The transition will ostensibly presuppose use of “surgical missions” inside the enclave carried out by smaller groups of elite forces, particularly around Khan Younis and Deir al Bala – seen as Hamas’ southern and central strongholds.
The goal of such missions would be to seek out Hamas leaders, rescue remaining hostages, and destroy tunnels used by the militants, Hagari said:
“There are still terror operatives and weapons in the north of the Gaza Strip, but they do not function within an organised military framework and now we operate there in (a different) way, and with a different mix of forces.
“At this stage, we are focusing on the centre and the south of the Gaza Strip. This is still an intense and complex operational activity.”
Hagari also indicated the fighting in Gaza could be expected to continue throughout 2024.
Meanwhile, US officials told The New York Times that the strength of Israeli troops in northern Gaza had already been slashed to less than half of the approximately 50 000 soldiers deployed there in December. The timeline may change depending on the situation on the ground, the report said citing Israeli officials.
Should Israeli forces come up against stiffer than anticipated Hamas resistance, both the scope and pace of the downscaling of operations could change. Intensive airstrikes could also be continued under those circumstances.
With the cited transition and troop reduction already under way, Israeli and US officials are reportedly working on post-war plans of maintaining public order in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli side is allegedly hoping that local mayors, officials and leaders from prominent Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip will step up to oversee basic security. This local network would also be relied upon to monitor the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Other suggested ideas presuppose a peacekeeping force sent by Arab states, or even the unlikely one of a multinational force led by the US, but with Israeli oversight.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed Daniel Hagari’s remarks, telling a US outlet that the IDF was shifting from an “intense manoeuvring phase of the war” to “different types of special operations”. Israel needed to “take into consideration the huge number of civilians,” and the IDF’s tactics “take some time” to adjust. “But we aren’t going to give up,” he said.
The report comes amid growing fears of the Palestine-Israel conflict spreading beyond Gaza, with US top diplomat Antony Blinken on a weeklong shuttle diplomacy trip to the region. The Biden administration has largely defended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military operation in Gaza, which has killed at least 22 835 Palestinians, many of them women and children.
However, under domestic pressure the White House has been compelled to offer at least rhetorical opposition to Israel’s relentless campaign.
The US Secretary of State’s itinerary lists Türkiye, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt from January 4-11. Thus, Blinken, who a week ago insisted America’s supply of munitions worth $147.5 million (R2.7 billion) to Israel was in the US’ national interest, would “underscore the importance of protecting civilian lives in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza”.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli command base yesterday in retaliation for the killings of one of its commanders and the Hamas deputy leader.
Hezbollah and its arch-foe Israel have been exchanging near-daily fire across the border since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7.
The Shia Muslim movement said it had targeted the “enemy’s northern command centre” in the city of Safed “with several drones”.
It said the attack was in response to the killings of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri on January 2 and of Hezbollah field commander Wissam Tawil on Monday.
The Israeli army confirmed “hostile aircraft” had come down at one of its bases in the north and said that “no injuries or damage were reported”.
On Saturday, Hezbollah said it had fired more than 60 rockets at an Israeli military base in response to Aruri’s killing in Beirut, widely blamed on Israel.
Hezbollah number two Naim Qassem yesterday warned that Israel’s wave of targeted killings “cannot lead to a phase of retreat but rather to a push forward for the resistance”.
He described Tawil as a member of Hezbollah’s elite al-Radwan Brigade who had fought on several fronts.
Yesterday, an Israeli strike targeted a car in the south Lebanon village of Ghandouria, leaving “three Hezbollah fighters dead” a security source said.
Tawil, a top Hezbollah commander, was set to be buried in his south Lebanon village yesterday. He was the highest-ranking Hezbollah member to be killed since October 7.
Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, said Tawil was involved in the abduction of Israeli soldiers which triggered the group’s last war with Israel in 2006.
He had also “directed numerous operations” against Israeli forces since the Gaza war began, Hezbollah said.
The three months of cross-border violence have killed more than 180 people in Lebanon, including over 135 Hezbollah fighters, but also more than 20 civilians including three journalists. In northern Israel, nine soldiers and at least four civilians have been killed.