This is not the first time that Israel has carried out a major reduction of forces in the Strip. Starting on December 31, thousands of reserve soldiers were also pulled out.
One of the four military divisions that attacked Gaza in the early days of the ground offensive, starting on October 27, has reportedly been ordered to pull out.
The move to withdraw the 36th division came on the 101st day of the Israeli genocidal war on the Strip.
This leaves the following divisions, which are still fighting inside various parts of the Strip: 99, 162, and 98.
The 36th division, which concluded its withdrawal today, comprises the Golani Brigade, the 6th and the 7th Brigades, in addition to Brigade 188 and the engineering corps.
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The withdrawal was accompanied by much fanfare, as the Israeli air force has, according to Israeli media, “saluted Golani Brigade personnel as they withdrew”.
Some analysts suggest that the withdrawal of the 36th division is part of a larger retreat from Gaza, carried out gradually so as not to suggest that the war is concluding or that the Israeli military has failed to carry out its objectives.
Over 24,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli war on Gaza so far. Additionally, over 60,000 were also wounded, while over 7,000 remain under the rubble of the largely destroyed region.
This is not the first time that Israel has carried out a major reduction of forces in the Strip. Starting on December 31, thousands of reserve soldiers were pulled out from the battlefields to help stave off a collapse in the Israeli economy.
Also on December 21, the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade was pulled out from the Shejaiya region after suffering a decisive defeat at the hands of the Palestinian Resistance.
This is a developing story.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
