Israel-Hamas war: Parts of Khan Younis reduced to rubble by Israeli airstrikes
Israel is withdrawing some of its troops from the Gaza city of Khan Younis, military officials said on Sunday, adding that it had ended its mission there as the war against Hamas reached the six-month mark.
Israel said its 98th Commando Division had withdrawn from Khan Younis and the Gaza Strip to “recuperate and prepare for future operations.”
Israel says a significant IDF contingent will continue to operate in the enclave even after Khan Younis withdraws his troops.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant said the withdrawal was partly to prepare for an attack on Rafah, the city in Gaza’s southernmost border with Egypt. The Israeli government has said for weeks it would attack Rafah because of the presence of thousands of Hamas fighters there.
Most of Israel’s allies, including the United States, have urged it to reconsider its plans because there are more than a million civilians there. Washington doubted they could safely evacuate before launching an attack.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Palestinians earlier displaced from Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city before the war, may now be able to return home from Rafah, where they have been seeking refuge. Parts of Khan Younis have been reduced to rubble by Israeli airstrikes.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was “one step away from victory” in the war against Hamas, which Iran-backed militants launched on October 7 attacks in southern Israel.
These attacks left approximately 1,200 people dead and approximately 250 people taken hostage. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
Netanyahu also said that “there will be no ceasefire unless the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October are returned.” Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
White House spokesman John Kirby told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that Israel’s partial withdrawal appeared to be an effort to “rest and recuperate” soldiers who had been there for months.
Still, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware and a close ally of President Joe Biden, said the move looked like “an important step in the face of a real attack from the north from Hezbollah or a direct attack from Iran.” Threat” tactical decision.
Earlier, Galanter said the Israeli military was ready to deal with any possible situation with Iran, which has vowed to retaliate against Israel’s suspected attack on its embassy in Syria on April 1.
It is unclear when this will happen, or whether Iran will attempt to attack Israel directly or through one of its proxy groups, such as the Lebanon-based Hezbollah. An Iranian official warned on Sunday that the Israeli embassy was “no longer safe.”
“This war reveals to the world what Israel has known all along – that Iran is behind the attacks on us through its proxies,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.
“Anyone who harms us or plans to harm us – we will harm him. We have been putting this principle into practice in recent days.”
According to Iranian state media, the attack in Damascus destroyed the consulate building and killed at least 13 people, including seven Iranian military personnel and six Syrian nationals.
Israel did not confirm the attack, consistent with its usual response to accusations against Iran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on April 2 that Israel “will be punished. We will make them regret their crimes,” according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
On Sunday, Khamanei’s senior military adviser Yahya Rahim-Safavi said on state television that “Israel’s embassy is no longer safe.” He added that multiple Israeli embassies in the Middle East were “closed out of fear.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
