Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the Israeli forces that withdrew from the Gaza Strip today, Sunday, did so in preparation for future operations, including in the city of Rafah in the southern part of the territory. Gallant added during a meeting with military officials, as quoted in a statement from his office, "The forces are leaving and preparing for their upcoming missions, and we have seen examples of such missions in the (Shifa) hospital operation, as well as their upcoming mission in the Rafah area."
For his part, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army Herzi Halevi stated that the army is capable of dealing with any Iranian threat. Halevi clarified in a statement broadcasted on television that "The Israel Defense Forces are capable of dealing with Iran... We can act forcefully against Iran both nearby and far away. We cooperate with the United States and with strategic partners in the region."
Earlier today, Israel announced that its army had withdrawn more soldiers from southern Gaza, leaving only one battalion there, while sending a team for new talks in Egypt with representatives of Hamas. The Israeli military has reduced its forces in Gaza since the beginning of the year to relieve reserve soldiers while facing increasing American pressure to improve the humanitarian situation, especially after the incident last week where seven relief workers were killed in an airstrike.
