April 7, 2024

National Security Spokesman John Kirby on Sunday said that Israel’s decision to pull some troops out of Southern Gaza does not appear to indicate a shift in military strategy.

“As we understand it, and through their public announcements, it is really just about rest and refit for these troops that have been on the ground for four months, and not necessarily — that we can tell — indicative of some coming new operation,” Kirby said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” “The word we’re getting is they’re tired, they need to be refitted.”

The Israel Defense Forces announced Sunday that it had “concluded its mission” in the Southern Gaza city of Khan Younis and that it would reduce its military troops in that region “in order to recuperate and prepare for future operations.”

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