The IDF says that the army's 98th Division has left the Gaza Strip and that no troops actively maneuvering in the southern Strip.
The army explained the move as the outcome of the exhaustion of all intelligence and combat operations in the region, denying it is the outcome of a U.S. demand from Netanyahu.
An army official said that "the logic that leads us today is mistaken… We are willing to operate whenever we're needed, but there's no need for us to remain in the sector without an [operational] need… The 98th division dismantled Hamas' Khan Yunis brigades and killed thousands of its members. We did everything we could there."
The official add that exiting Khan Yunis would allow the displaced Palestinians to return to their homes after sheltering in Rafah. He clarified, however, that the army "will continue to operate there according to the operational needs."
"Our mission was to dismantle Hamas' Khan Yunis Brigade, and we succeeded in that," he added. "Our second mission was to return the hostages, and we failed in doing so. The operation in the Al-Shifa hospital compound contributed to the decision to change our perception concerning the fighting in the southern Strip."
In the near future, the IDF plans to designate three divisions to the Gaza border, from which army forces will be able to deploy into the Strip whenever needed. Forces will also be stationed in the Gaza border Kibbutz of Kissufim.