Israeli Forces Pull Back from Parts of Gaza, But Fighting Persists
Gaza’s civil defence agency reports troops leaving areas in Gaza City and Khan Younis, even as airstrikes and shelling continue.
GAZA STRIP – Gaza’s civil defence agency announced on Friday that Israeli forces have started to withdraw from several areas, most notably in Gaza City and the southern city of Khan Younis. However, officials on the ground report that fighting has not stopped.
Mohammed al-Mughayyir, a senior official with the agency, confirmed the pullback. “Israeli forces have withdrawn from several areas in Gaza City,” he said, identifying the districts of Tel al-Hawa and the Al-Shati camp as two locations where troops were leaving. Both areas had been the focus of intense Israeli military operations in recent weeks.
Mughayyir added that military vehicles were also seen pulling out of parts of Khan Younis. This information was supported by local residents who told news agency AFP that Israeli troops appeared to have left positions they held just a day earlier.
Despite the withdrawal, the situation remains tense. “Gunfire has not stopped at all until this moment,” Mughayyir stated, adding that an Israeli strike had killed a city worker in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City. A second man was reportedly killed by Israeli fire in Khan Younis on Friday.
Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the civil defence, said that Israeli fighter jets were flying low over Gaza. His teams reported fresh airstrikes and artillery shelling in the north. He also noted that Israeli forces had used smoke bombs in Khan Younis.
From across the border in Israel, an AFP journalist reported seeing large plumes of smoke rising over northern Gaza on Friday morning. When asked about these reports, the Israeli military said it was checking the information.
On Friday, the military’s southern command stated that its troops were “in the midst of adjusting operational positions in the Gaza Strip.” This follows a statement from an Israeli government spokeswoman on Thursday, who said the military would redeploy to a “Yellow Line” as part of a gradual withdrawal plan. According to the plan, the military will still control about 53 percent of the Gaza Strip during this initial phase.
In a related development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced early Friday that the government had approved the framework for a hostage release deal with Hamas.
