Israel to pull out combat forces from Gaza, move troops to West Bank: Report

JERUSALEM

Israel will pull out combat forces from the Gaza Strip and move part of the troops to the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media on Monday.

“Army chief Herzi Halevi decided to pull out the combat forces from Gaza to be transferred to the West Bank to replace the regular forces there,” the Wall news portal said.

No further details were provided regarding the decision and there was no confirmation yet from the Israeli army.

Israeli media outlets said the move aims to give rest to Israeli forces in the West Bank amid rising tension in the occupied territory.

At least 370 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 4,200 others injured by Israeli army fire in the West Bank since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian figures.

Last week, the Israeli army withdrew its 36th Division from the Gaza Strip, while three other divisions remained in the Palestinian territory.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, killing at least 25,295 people and injuring 63,000 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

The deadly onslaught has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar