Israel’s National Unity party minister Gideon Saar says the withdrawal of troops from Gaza and seeks to convey the current government on expanding the war.
“The reduction of the intensity and activities of the [Israeli army] in the Strip and the drawdown of forces there is a mistake,” Saar said on 16 January. “We need to decide to increase the pressure on Hamas. We also need to decide that changes to the combat situation be based on advances and achieving goals and not a timetable.”
On Monday, the Israeli army withdrew Unit 36 from the Gaza Strip. The 36th division operated in Gaza City’s Zeitoun, Shati, Shejaiya, and Rimal neighborhoods.
The Israeli army claims that the withdrawal is to give the soldiers a “relaxation and recuperation” break time for more training.
The 36th division’s withdrawal is a part of the Israeli army’s extended war plan against Palestinian resistance forces in Gaza; there is also the potentiality that this withdrawal is part of a potential escalation in fighting with the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah on the northern border.
Israeli aggression in Lebanon has increased significantly, recently areas in the Iqlim al-Tuffah area in Lebanon.
Hezbollah responded to the attacks by Israel earlier this month by targeting important Israeli military sites, including the Meron air control base in the north.
Speaking about the possibility of the front between Lebanon and Israel, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant previously said, “We prefer the path of an agreed-upon diplomatic settlement… but we are getting close to the point where the hourglass will turn over.”
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said in a recent speech, “We have been ready for war for 99 days, and we are not afraid of it. We will fight without limit [if war is imposed on us].”
In December, the Israeli army withdrew five brigades from the Gaza Strip, three usually trained with training other forces and two reserve brigades.
Source: The Cradle