The Israeli military said Sunday that it had withdrawn a division of ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip, as international mediators gathered with hopes of brokering a temporary cease-fire six months into the war. Israel has significantly reduced the number of troops it has on the ground in Gaza over the past several months. However, Israeli officials made clear that the army would stay in other parts of Gaza to preserve its “freedom of action and its ability to conduct precise intelligence-based operations.” Despite the announced troop withdrawal, Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said the military was preparing for “follow-up missions” that included Rafah. With those tensions in the backdrop, officials from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar began meeting in Cairo on Sunday with the aim hammer out an agreement on a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages Hamas took when it led an attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/07/world/middleeast/israel-troops-gaza.html
