AMN/ WEB DESK
Israel has pulled its ground forces out of the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday (7th April 2024) in a partial withdrawal. The move comes after six months of devastating war trigerred by by the October 7 attacks by Hamas. The military however says that a significant force will keep operating elsewhere in the besieged Palestinian territory, able to conduct precise intelligence based operations. As new truce talks are due to be held in Cairo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said, Israel is just one step away from victory. He said, he has told his cabinet that there will be no ceasefire without the return of hostages. Netanyahu stressed that Israel is ready for a deal, but not ready to surrender.
Eyewitnesses said, air strikes kept pounding Khan Yunis and Rafah during the night. The army told media that 98th commando division has concluded its mission in Khan Yunis, hometown of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. It said, the division left the Gaza Strip in order to recuperate and prepare for future operations. An army official told a News daily that the troops pulled out after they had dismantled Hamas’s Khan Yunis brigades and killed thousands of its members.