Israel withdraws its forces from Khan Younis

The Israeli military said it has withdrawn its ground forces from Khan Younis in southern Gaza after months of fierce fighting.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that its 98th division had “concluded its mission” in Khan Younis. The division was leaving the Gaza Strip to “recuperate and prepare for future operations.”

The IDF added that “a significant force led by the 162nd division and the Nahal brigade continues to operate in the Gaza strip, and will preserve the IDF’s freedom of action and its ability to conduct precise intelligence based operations.”

As of January, the 98th division was the military’s biggest-ever division, as it was specifically bolstered to fight Hamas in Khan Younis.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the troops were leaving Gaza to prepare for follow-up missions, including in the Rafah region.

“The troops exit and prepare ahead of their follow-up missions. We saw examples of such missions in action in Shifa. And also for their follow-up mission in the Rafah region,” Gallant said.

The defense minister added that Israeli forces in Khan Younis were successful in destroying enemy targets, warehouses, weapons, underground infrastructure, headquarters and communication rooms.

“We are reaching a situation where Hamas does not control the Gaza Strip and that it does not function as a military framework that poses a risk to the citizens of the State of Israel,” Gallant said.