Gaza (KAAB TV) – Israel has approved plans to withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip, after progress was made in the prisoner exchange talks with Hamas, Israeli media reported.
Haaretz newspaper reported that the military has approved several plans for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Gaza, in response to the progress made in the talks.
Several options have been explored, including withdrawing troops from the Netzarim Pass, which divides Gaza into two parts.
Despite building large infrastructure and military bases in the region, the military said it could “mobilize” troops, stressing that it was ready to implement any agreement reached by the government and the Palestinian resistance group, including to withdraw the troops from Gaza immediately.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has already announced that a delegation led by Mossad intelligence chief David Barnea and Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, will travel to Qatar to continue conversations.
Before announcing the plan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of the president-elect of the United States for the Middle East.
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper also said that 90% of the details of the prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas have been finalized, citing political sources.
This issue comes after Hamas made a major comeback in Gaza, according to a recent report broadcast by Channel 12 in Israel, which was also confirmed by The Jerusalem Post.
According to Channel 12, Hamas and other Islamic Jihad forces are estimated to have between 20,000-23,000 fighters. This new number comes as the number of fighters was recently reported at 12,000.