Israeli army withdraws another reservist brigade from Gaza

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army pulled out its 5th reservist brigade from the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media on Wednesday.

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN said the 5th reservist brigade had fought in the northern Gaza Strip and had seized the territory’s coastal area from Hamas fighters.

According to the broadcaster, one reservist brigade remains in the Palestinian territory.

It remains unclear how many Israeli forces are deployed in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army has withdrawn several military brigades from the Gaza Strip in recent weeks.

When the Gaza conflict erupted on Oct. 7, the Israeli army mobilized some 360,000 troops to take part in its military offensive on the seaside enclave.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, killing at least 26,900 Palestinians and injuring 65,949. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive 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 has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar