Israel claims to withdraw army brigade from Rafah

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army claimed Thursday to have withdrawn a brigade from Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.

A military statement said the Bislamach Brigade was pulled out from the city after completing its mission in Rafah.

The army now has five brigades in the crowded city.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,650 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 83,300 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar