Israel's troop withdrawal indicates move towards less intense operations, says US official

Israel's move to pull back a portion of its forces from Gaza signifies a potential beginning of reduced-intensity operations in the northern region of the Palestinian territory, a US official said on Monday.

But despite this, the official added, ongoing conflict in that area persists.

"This appears to be the start of the gradual shift to lower intensity operations in the north that we have been encouraging, which reflects the success the IDF has had in dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities there. I’d caution though there is still fighting in the north and this does not reflect any changes in the south," the official told Reuters.

On Monday, Israel withdrew tanks from certain areas of Gaza City, while also revealing plans to alter its military strategy and reduce the number of soldiers deployed. At the same time, intense combat and heavy bombardment continued in other parts of the Palestinian territory.

MEE