02 January 2024 , 21:12
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Thousands of Israeli troops will withdraw from Gaza within weeks despite heavy fighting in the south.
Israel is said to be moving towards a low-intensity war with Hamas, as it faces an escalating cross-border conflict with Syria and Lebanon.
Senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri has been killed in a drone strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, it was reported last night. It is believed Mossad assassins tracked him down in the suburb of Dahiyeh. Israeli troops were bracing for a massive backlash from Lebanese Hezbollah, including cross-border rocket strikes.
Israeli intelligence officials believe al-Arouri, 57, helped plan the June 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens — Gil-ad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Fraenkel — as well as numerous other attacks.
A girl holds a kitten outside a tent as others inspect the rubble of a collapsed building in Rafah (AFP via Getty Images)In the Gaza Strip, Israel has killed an estimated 22,000 Palestinians in less than three months, two thirds of them women and children. More than 100 Israeli hostages, taken during the October 7 Hamas raids which killed 1,200 Israelis, are believed still to be hidden in the enclave.
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Israel confirmed some of its forces were leaving Gaza. Army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “The objectives of the war require prolonged fighting and we are preparing accordingly.”
PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman Mark Regev said: “We have to be able to rotate troops.” Several Israeli airstrikes hit the outskirts of the Syrian Capital Damascus early on Tuesday.
Syrian state news agency SANA said the strikes came from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights at around 4:30am. Israeli forces killed four Palestinian militants early on Tuesday during a raid in the West Bank. More than 300 Palestinians have been killed in the area since October 7.
The UK confirmed its first maritime shipment of thermal blankets, shelter packs and medical supplies for Gaza has reached Egypt’s Port Said.