The overthrow of the Islamist faction remains the goal of the IDF offensive in the Palestinian enclave. The Israeli official also noted that part of the of Israel's withdrawn troops will prepare for a possible second front in Lebanon. This was written by a Reuters analyst, citing his own official sources, UNN reports.
Israel is withdrawing some forces from Gaza to move to more targeted operations against Hamas. operations against Hamas and is partially returning reservists to civilian life to to help the economy as the country enters a new year destined for a prolonged war.
Details
Since the launch of the offensive in Gaza after the cross-border Hamas revolt on October 7 Israeli officials have said they plan to conduct it in three main phases. The first was intense shelling to clear access routes for ground forces and to encourage civilians to evacuate. The second was the invasion, which began on October 27.
As tanks and troops now occupy a large part of the Gaza Strip, basically taking control despite the largely in control, even though Palestinian militants continue their ambushes from hidden tunnels and bunkers, the military is moving to the third stage of the war. An Israeli official told Reuters about this by an Israeli official, who did not give his name due to the sensitivity of the topic.
This will take at least six months and will include intensive missions to clear of terrorists. No one is talking about doves of peace flying from Shajai.
At the same time, Israel is determined to return 129 of its citizens who are still still held in Gaza. Efforts to broker a ceasefire with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt have raised the prospect of the release of some of them.
Economic factors
Israel initially called up 300,000 reservists - roughly 10% to 15% of its of its workforce for what is expected to be the longest war in the region's history. Government sources said that between 200,000 and 250,000 reservists are still mobilized and absent from work or training.
The official noted that the two brigades being withdrawn now consist of reservists. The politician explained this step as one aimed at "revitalizing the Israeli economy".
The official added that some of the troops withdrawn from the Gaza Strip in the south will be prepared for rotation to the northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel has warned that if Hezbollah does not retreat, Lebanon faces a full war. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are supported by Iran, whose allied fighters in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen also carry out long-range attacks on Israel.
"The situation on the Lebanese front will not be allowed to continue. This next six months is a critical time," the official said, adding that Israel will convey a similar message to the U.S. envoy who is on a shuttle mission to Beirut.
The Israeli military announced on Saturday that it is sending some reservists home as part of what Supreme Commander Lt. Gen. Gerzi Galevi called a "reconfiguration" of the force.
From the first moments of this war, we said that it would take a long time. ... Will we be able to say we finally be able to say that there are no more enemies around the State of Israel? Я think that is too ambitious. But we will ensure security as much as possible, stable security.
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Since the beginning of the war , Israel has lost 174 of its soldiers, most of whom were reservists, killed during the fighting in Gaza. in Gaza. Israel lost another 9 of its citizens in fighting on the border with Lebanon.
In Gaza, the war between Israel and Hamas has caused the greatest destruction. According to the of the Ministry of Health, almost 22,000 people have died. It is noted that many of the victims were civilians.
Israel is ready to allow ships to deliver aid to Gaza coast31.12.23, 18:58 • [views_53096]
Israel, in turn, claims to have killed more than 8,000 Palestinian militants, indicating that, according to its own data, Hamas retains its core personnel. Pre-war Israeli estimates indicated that the terrorist group numbered about 30,000 fighters.