Israeli army replaces Reserve Brigade 55 with other forces in Gaza

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army announced Thursday the replacement of the 55th Reserve Brigade in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip with other forces, after two months of operation.

“The brigade left the southern Gaza Strip and was replaced by other forces in the area,” it said without providing details for the decision.

The army did not disclose additional details in its statement regarding the number of soldiers leaving Khan Yunis or soldiers brought in.

“Over the past two months, the forces belonging to the 55th Brigade worked in the Khan Younis city, and during the work period, the brigade discovered numerous tunnels and combat means, destroying them,” it said. “As part of the forces' activity in the area, soldiers identified in recent weeks two launch sites used by Hamas to fire missiles towards Israeli territory.”

The army periodically announces the withdrawal and replacement of forces operating in the Gaza Strip as part of ground battles since Oct. 27.​​​​​​​

On many occasions, the army said the reason for the replacement was the troops' exit for rest and re-equipping periods.

Earlier Thursday, the army announced its withdrawal from areas northwest of the Gaza Strip's governorates and the northern part of the enclave for the first time since the start of its ground operation.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala