Israel to Reduce Force in Gaza by Thousands

Israel announce Monday that it will start pulling several thousand troops from Gaza this week, the largest withdrawal of the war against Hamas revealed so far and a possible indication of a change in strategy in line with US preferences. Two brigades will return to Israel this week, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement, and three more will leave for training at an unspecified date, the New York Times reports. A spokesman said Sunday night that pulling back reservists doesn't reflect any change in Israel's determination to fight until Hamas is destroyed. But removing troops, at least temporarily, will "significantly ease the burden on the economy and allow them to gather strength for the upcoming activities in the next year," he said.

Analysts and American officials said the withdrawal may be a move toward acceptance of the strategy called for by the US and other nations—a more limited, targeted offensive that reduces the toll on civilians in Gaza. "This appears to be the start of the gradual shift to lower intensity operations in the north that we have been encouraging, which reflects the success the IDF has had in dismantling Hamas's military capabilities there," a US official told the Washington Post. One analyst said that "most of what can be achieved through the high-intensity combat has been achieved" already by Israel. (More Israel-Hamas war stories.)