A substantial new ripple in Israel-Palestine war occurred on Monday, as the Israeli military announced that thousands of its troops would be withdrawn from Gaza.
This withdrawal marks Israel’s first official pullback since the war began, and arrives just days after the Biden administration bypassed Congress once again for a weapons sale to Israel. The drawdown is Israel’s most significant yet, and could signal that fighting is being intentionally scaled back in Gaza after the United States has prodded the country to move to lower-intensity fighting as the death toll in Gaza reached an alarming 20,000 people.
The de-escalation may only be temporary, however, as the Israeli military noted in a statement on Monday that troops were being withdrawn from Gaza for test and training procedures. According to the a statement from the Israeli military, two brigades will be sent home, while another three will be sent to training.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The objectives of war require prolonged fighting,” army spokesperson Daniel Higari said. “We are preparing accordingly.” Higari did not reference any requests from American officials to reduce fighting.
The Israeli military has cited an increasing toll on the country’s economy as the war rages on after Hamas’ lethal October 7 attack. “This move is expected to significantly alleviate economic burdens and enable them to gather strength for upcoming activities in the next year,” the Israeli military said of its decision to withdraw troops.
Shlomo Brom, a former Israeli brigadier general in charge of strategic planning, said that the removal of troops is likely not an indication that the Israeli military is moving to end the war. “The war is not stopping,” Brom said. “It is the beginning of a different mode of operation.”
Israeli officials reportedly intend to transition to a more concentrated series of attacks against Hamas. The IDF has reported that 172 of its soldiers have died on the ground during the war, while outrage at the sizable death toll in Gaza has encouraged United States officials to take action to bring the war to an end.
Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken is expected to travel to Israel once again in January to make an in-person push to change the structure of the war. Blinken met with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and a top Netanyahu aide in Washington last week to discuss shifting to a different phase of the war. According to a White House official, this new stage would “maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets,” as opposed to the Israeli military’s full-scale ground invasion.
