Israel to withdraw ground troops from Gaza in ‘new phase’ of war:
This 'new phase' will reportedly focus on continued air raids across the besieged enclave, where the proportional death toll has surpassed most modern conflicts in less than three months
Israel’s Broadcasting Authority on 23 December revealed that Tel Aviv is planning to switch to a new phase of the war in the coming weeks, bringing to an end to ground operations and shifting the focus to continued heavy airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
“The Israeli army is preparing to move to the third phase of the fighting in Gaza in the coming weeks,” the report says, citing sources in the know.
The Israeli broadcaster added that this phase will include “ending the ground operation in the Strip, reducing forces, and demobilizing reserve forces.”
The new phase will focus on heavy bombardment and the establishment of a “buffer zone” near the strip’s border in line with a longstanding Israeli goal.
While the sources claimed the Israeli army “took control of most of the northern Gaza Strip area,” battles with the Palestinian resistance continue to rage across both north and south Gaza.
The Israeli report comes days after the elite Golani Brigade withdrew from Gaza to “reorganize its ranks.” The Golani Brigade faced huge losses while fighting Hamas' Qassam Brigades, the Quds Brigade, and other groups entrenched across the strip.
According to a retired Israeli general, the elite force lost a quarter of its troops.
The Qassam Brigades have been releasing footage of its ambushes against Israeli forces on a near daily basis. The videos include scenes of guided missile strikes, sniping operations, and RPG attacks on tanks, vehicles, and bulldozers.
The Washington Post reported on 22 December some of the testimonies of Israeli soldiers on the “deadly” and “surreal” traps laid by resistance fighters.
Some of these ambushes include the use of loudspeakers, which broadcast sounds of people weeping or speaking Hebrew, aimed at luring soldiers and making them think prisoners may be nearby.
“In intense urban combat, fought above and below ground, Hamas militants dart from building to building in civilian clothes … and attempt to ensnare Israeli soldiers with booby traps and lures.”
Israel claims it has achieved operational control over several areas in north Gaza, including the infamous Shujaiya neighborhood.
While claiming to be targeting Hamas infrastructure and military capabilities, the group is still able to launch large rocket barrages into Tel Aviv from several areas across the strip – indicating that nearly two months of ground operations have had little effect.
The announcement of an airstrike-focused “new phase” of the war comes as Washington continues to request that the intensity of Israel's ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza be reduced within the coming weeks.
US officials are continuously advising Tel Aviv to avoid civilian casualties to maintain international support.
However, if the new phase is to focus on intense bombing – as the sources say – civilian casualties will continue to spike, as will the flattening of the strip’s infrastructure.
Israel’s blitz on Gaza has “wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syria’s Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraine’s Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II,” AP highlighted on 21 December.
With a death rate of no less than 355 civilians per day – roughly 70 percent of whom are women and children – the blitz of Gaza sits near the top of most modern bombing campaigns.