During the night and early this morning, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) began withdrawing their troops from the Gaza Strip to agreed deployment lines, as part of the agreement with Hamas.
Some forces have been completely withdrawn from Gaza, while others will remain stationed along the deployment lines, reports the Times of Israel.
The withdrawal is taking place under the protection of artillery shelling and airstrikes in some areas, according to the Israeli portal.
The Israeli army is expected to complete the withdrawal by tonight, within 24 hours after the Israeli government officially ratified the agreement with Hamas.
Once the withdrawal is completed, the IDF will retain control over slightly more than half of the Gaza Strip’s territory — about 53 percent — most of which lies outside urban areas.
This includes the buffer zone along the entire Gaza border, including the Philadelphi Corridor — the border area between Egypt and Gaza — along with Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia in the far north of the Strip, the ridge on the eastern outskirts of Gaza City, and large parts of Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza, reports the Times of Israel.
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Source: Telegraf; Foto: Foto: Printscreen Instagram @idf