What happened:

  • Israel has announced the withdrawal of most of its forces from the southern Gaza Strip, with a “significant force” continuing to operate in the rest of Gaza. [aljazeera.com, dw.com, theguardian.com]
  • The withdrawal from Khan Younis was seen as a humiliating step for Israel, especially after the killing of an Israeli officer and 3 soldiers. [alquds.co.uk, alraimedia.com]
  • The withdrawal is one of the demands that Hamas made before agreeing to a ceasefire with Israel. [aljazeera.com]
  • The withdrawal could be linked to a hostage deal, and senior-level talks are expected to resume in Cairo. [news.sky.com]
  • The withdrawal is intended to allow the fighters to prepare for the continuation of the fighting in the Gaza Strip in areas where Israeli forces have not yet operated. [now14.co.il

    What is International media saying:

  • The withdrawal of almost all Israeli forces from southern Gaza is a significant moment in the war, signaling a shift to a new phase with Israeli forces now operating in a counter-terrorism fashion. [news.sky.com]
  • It is unclear why the troops have not been replaced, as Israeli officials claim the operations in Khan Younis are over, but some rockets were fired from the area towards Israel hours after the soldiers left. [news.sky.com]
  • The withdrawal could create a security vacuum, leading to the return of Hamas cells. [news.sky.com]
  • For the military gains made by Israel to be sustained, the withdrawal of forces must be accompanied by meaningful progress in the political process. [news.sky.com]
  • The withdrawal should create space for more humanitarian aid to move about Gaza, which is desperately needed. [news.sky.com, washingtonpost.com]

What is Arab media saying:

  • The US National Security Council spokesperson suggested that the Israeli withdrawal is “just a break and a renewal of their forces” and not necessarily an indication of an imminent new operation. [aljazeera.net]
  • Analysts linked the withdrawal to US pressure on Israel, especially after reports that US President Joe Biden threatened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [alquds.co.uk, alraimedia.com]
  • Cairo is hosting indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with the participation of delegations from Qatar and the US. [aawsat.com]
  • The current negotiations are shrouded in secrecy and lack clarity, with experts indicating that they are aimed at “avoiding pressure” without a genuine intention to reach an agreement. [aawsat.com]
  • Hezbollah and other Lebanese and Palestinian factions in Lebanon are engaged in daily exchanges of fire with the Israeli army across the “Blue Line” dividing the two sides. [aawsat.com]

What is Israeli media saying:

  • The ground maneuver of the IDF that began several weeks after the start of the war effectively ended with the withdrawal of Brigade 98 from the Gaza Strip. [maariv.co.il]
  • The exceptional withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is intended to allow the fighters to prepare for the continuation of the fighting in the Gaza Strip in areas where our forces have not yet operated. [now14.co.il]
  • The Nahal Brigade and the 162nd Division are the units still operating in the area, in order to maintain the humanitarian corridor that divides the Gaza Strip in two. [maariv.co.il]
  • Israel has agreed to a framework for the return of up to 2,000 people, with an emphasis on women and children, excluding men aged 18-50, from the southern Gaza Strip to the north of Gaza. [now14.co.il]
  • The IDF explains the withdrawal of the forces from Khan Yunis and says that the forces in the southern Gaza Strip are fully transitioning to “Phase C” – the method of targeted raids and intelligence-based operations. [maariv.co.il]

Media sources:

  • aljazeera.com
  • alquds.co.uk
  • alraimedia.com
  • aljazeera.net
  • almasryalyoum.com
  • aawsat.com
  • alarab.co.uk
  • aljazeera.net
  • dw.com
  • theguardian.com
  • news.sky.com
  • cnn.com
  • nytimes.com
  • washingtonpost.com
  • maariv.co.il
  • now14.co.il

Links:

  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/8/%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%A3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87
  • https://www.alquds.co.uk/%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%B0%D9%84%D9%91-%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86%D8%B3
  • https://www.alraimedia.com/article/1683018/%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%AE%D9%84-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A8-%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B9
  • https://www.aljazeera.net/news/politics/2024/4/7/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%88%D9%85%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9
  • https://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/2144853
  • https://aawsat.com/home/article/3608916/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A4%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%8A-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A8-%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9
  • https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A8-%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B3-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7
  • https://www.dw.com/ar/%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B8%D9%85-%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9/a-60543506
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/07/israel-withdraws-troops-from-gaza-as-ceasefire-with-hamas-holds
  • https://news.sky.com/story/israel-gaza-conflict-israeli-military-begins-withdrawing-troops-from-gaza-12667984
  • https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/7/middleeast/israel-gaza-withdrawal-intl/index.html
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/07/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-ceasefire.html
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/07/israel-troops-gaza-withdrawal/
  • https://www.maariv.co.il/news/military/Article-845883
  • `https://www.now14.co.il/%D7%94%D7%A6%D7%91%D7%90-%D7%94%D7%99%D8%A9-%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%A2-%D7%9C%D7%A4%D7%A0%D9%99%D7%9D-%D7%9E%D7%97%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%99-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%A8%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%AA-%D7%92/