ISTANBUL

The Israeli army reduced its forces in the Gaza Strip on Monday to only two divisions following its complete withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.

The army withdrew early Sunday from the corridor, which separates northern Gaza from the south, after more than a year and three months of occupation.

According to Israel’s Army Radio, the military downsized its forces in Gaza, releasing the 99th Reserve Division and the Harel Reserve Brigade from their mission in the enclave.

According to the radio, Israel now has the smallest troop deployment in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

The army's 162nd Division currently controls a part of the northern buffer zone inside Gaza, under the claim of protecting Israeli settlements near the border, while the army’s Gaza Division maintains control over the southern section of the buffer zone in southern Gaza and the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border.

A ceasefire deal has been in place in Gaza since Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 48,200 people and left the enclave in ruins.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.