Israel withdraws most ground troops from southern Gaza Strip

Israel says it has withdrawn all ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip except for one brigade. The military, which has been reducing numbers in Gaza since the start of the year to relieve reservists and under growing pressure from its ally Washington to improve the humanitarian situation, did not give details on its reasons or the number of soldiers involved. In recent months, Israel’s offensive has focused on the south of the Palestinian enclave and it remains unclear whether the withdrawal would delay a long-threatened incursion into the city of Rafah, which Israeli leaders have said is needed to eliminate Hamas. Rafah has become the last refuge for more than a million Palestinians sheltering in the territory near the border with Egypt. The UN has warned an assault on the city would lead to a “slaughter”. The withdrawal comes on the six-month anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attacks, and as Egypt prepares to host a new round of talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire and hostage