Israeli troops leaving Gaza will prepare for "follow-up missions," including in Rafah
Some Israeli troops are leaving Gaza to prepare for follow-up missions, including in the southernmost Rafah region, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday, CNN reports.
"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 added, in remarks during a visit to assess the Israel Defense Forces' Southern Command.
Earlier Sunday, the IDF said its 98th division had "concluded its mission" in the southern city of Khan Younis and was leaving the Gaza Strip to "recuperate and prepare for future operations."
The defense minister said Israeli forces had destroyed "enemy targets, warehouses, weapons, underground (infrastructure), headquarters (and) communication rooms" in Khan Younis.
An Israeli invasion of Rafah has been anticipated with grave concern from the United Nations and international aid organizations, as more than 1 million civilians are packed into the Gazan city with nowhere left to run.
